Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 16: The Kashmiri Pandits from village Kralgund in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district who are leading an exiled life outside Valley have expressed their strong resentment over the grabbing of the Ganesh Asthapan land by the Rural Development Department (RDD) in the village and construction of garbage disposal shed over it.
The residents of the area told Excelsior that their religious sentiments have been hurt with the action of the Department as the revered shrine where the asthapan building was razed to ground by militants in 2008 has been grabbed by the Government to construct a garbage dumping and disposal shed. A walnut orchard of the community of the village was existing there, they added.
The residents said that besides, the Asthapan the ashram of revered saint Swami Kral Bab also exists in the village and the authorities of the Department showing no respect to the religious sentiments of the people have grabbed the Asthapan land to construct the garbage shed over it.
They said the concerned tehsildar of Qaziabad, Kupwara had assured the delegation of migrants from the village that he will not allow the construction of the garbage shed at the Asthapan site but despite his assurance the shed was constructed by the RDD.
They said when they again took up the issue with concerned tehsildar he asked the Block Development Officer (BDO) vide his letter dated 4-9-2023 to take immediate and appropriate measures to resolve the issue keeping in view the religious sentiments of Migrant Pandit Biradri of Kralgund. Besides, the tehsildar urged BDO that appropriate measures be taken to safeguard, protecting and keeping the religious spot of Pandit Biradri clean.
Earlier the migrants of the village had taken up the issue with Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner Jammu and also submitted an application to Grievances Cell of LG.
Even the tehsildar Qaziabad, Kupwara in his earlier letter had informed the aggrieved members of the Pandit Biradari of Kralgund that the work on the construction of garbage collection Centre has been stopped. But to the surprise of hapless members of the minority community of the village the RDD did not stop the work on the garbage disposal shed. The migrant pandits of the village got shocked after coming to know that the shed has been constructed at the same spot.
Later the migrants led by Poshkar Nath Kanth, Bushan Lal and others again approached the tehsildar who asked the BDO to take appropriate action in the matter but the concerned agency has failed to dismantle the shed in which garbage of the area is being collected for disposal. Terming it a sacrilegious act, the Pandits of the village said that it is unfortunate that the Government which has to safeguard the migrants property one of its departments has grabbed the land belonging to the religious place for construction of the garbage shed. They sought immediate intervention of LG Manoj Sinha in the matter.
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