'Amarnath' cave declared silence zone by NGT

Amarnath Kashmir Dec 14: In a move to protect the Amarnath cave the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has declared the cave as a silent zone and barred chanting mantras or ringing bells in the temple.

NGT has said that "the Amarnath Shrine Board should ensure that proper infrastructural facilities are provided to the pilgrims so that they are not deprived of a clear darshan and the ecology of the area is maintained."



The tribunal had also said that "declaring the area around the Amarnath cave shrine a silence zone would be helpful in preventing avalanches and maintaining its pristine nature.Nobody would be permitted to carry anything from the stairs leading to the holy cave and everybody should be properly frisked at the entry point. From the point of stairs and the area inside the cave should be declared silence zone."

Finally, the tribunal had "urged the Amarnath development board to remove the iron grills in front of the ice stalagmite resembling the 'Shiva Linga' so that devotees could get a better view of it and said there should be no noise pollution near the sacred structure."