Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 9: The Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust (PNBMT) convened a Core Group meeting today to deliberate upon pressing issues concerning the community, with the primary focus on the long-pending Temples and Shrines Bill aimed at safeguarding the religious and cultural heritage of Kashmir.
The meeting was held under the leadership of Chairman of the Trust, Roshan Lal Pandita and it reiterated the commitment to the protection of Kashmiri Hindu temples and shrines.
Virender Raina, chief spokesperson of the Trust in his address said, “This vital piece of legislation is essential for ensuring the protection, preservation, and proper management of temples and shrines across Kashmir”.
“These sacred sites are not just places of worship-they are the living embodiments of our ancient culture, faith, and history. We, the people of Kashmir, carry a moral and cultural responsibility to safeguard these treasures handed down to us by our ancestors, so they may be passed on, intact and respected, to future generations,” he said.
Over the decades, particularly since the onset of militancy in the Valley, many temples have been subjected to systematic vandalism, encroachment, and unauthorized occupation of land and assets. This erosion of our heritage cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. A legislative framework is imperative to halt further degradation and to empower a Constitutionally recognized body to oversee temple affairs.”
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