Jammu, Mar 16 (IANS): Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Saturday laid the foundation stone of a building that would provide free accommodation daily to 4,000 pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.

To add additional facilities for meeting the accommodation needs of the pilgrims who visit the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, the Governor laid the foundation stone for construction of a new Durga Bhavan in the Bhavan area, a statement by the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, headed by the Governor, said.

The Governor electronically launched the work on the five-storey building on the sidelines of the 64th meeting of the Shrine Board here at the Raj Bhavan.

The building is estimated to cost around Rs 50 crore and will provide free accommodation to around 4,000 pilgrims every day. It will have adequate facilities such as lockers, toilets, blankets, ready-to-eat snacks and beverages as well as four elevators, the statement said.

The new earthquake resistant building will be the largest of the existing buildings in the Bhavan area and will be almost twice the size of the old Durga Bhavan.

Its terrace will be covered with an aesthetically designed roof as an additional resting place.