Shrine Board Can Use Forestland During Yatra TIMES NEWS NETWORK Jammu/New Delhi: Jammu broke into wild celebrations on Sunday morning after an agreement between a government panel led by governor N N Vohra and a conglomerate of Hindu groups gave exclusive right to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) on forestland at Baltal for use during the pilgrimage season. According to the agreement, the state government will set aside land at Baltal and Domail comprising 800 kanal for exclusive use by SASB for the purpose of yatra. The proprietary status of the land, however, shall not undergo any change. Immediately after the announcement, the Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti, spearheading the agitation in Jammu, suspended its campaign. In Kashmir Valley, the reaction was mixed. While PDP and Hurriyat Conference rejected the deal, National Conference gave it a thumbs-up. Under the pact, SASB will be able to allow the use of the forestland, while the pilgrimage is on, by various service providers. The period for which the land will be under the board will include the time required for erecting and dismantling the temporary infrastructure for the Amarnath yatra. The settlement was reached after the Congress leadership decided to view the matter through the political prism rather than leave it to the home ministry. Accordingly, Pranab Mukherjee, the tried and tested troubleshooter, was handed the baton and he opened negotiations with all the parties concerned, including BJP. The agreement appears to have been reached in spite of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti