Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 10: All India Vedic Brahman Kalyan Parishad (VBKP) has demanded that Lt Governor’s Administration in Jammu and Kashmir must conduct a physical audit of the hundreds of kanals of lands of the temples, encroached upon in Kashmir during last 30 years and launch restoration work on the damaged temples in the Valley and elsewhere in J&K.
National president of the VBKP, Subhash Kaushik during a virtual meeting today expressed serious concern over the encroachment of hundreds of kanals of lands of the temples in Kashmir by some people. He said in some of these lands, the people have raised shops and offices while others have built illegal structures or doing farming. Even in some of the structures Government offices have been housed.
Kaushik pointed out that as per a report of Home Ministry, as forwarded by Zonal Police headquarters Kashmir and PHQ, J&K dated 5-3-2020, a total 94 religious places/temples were either damaged or burnt by the militants during last 30 years of turmoil in Kashmir. While nine of these places of worship were destroyed in fire incidents, the others were damaged by other means as per Government record.
While the restoration work on a few places of worship was initiated by the previous Governments, but majority of these temples still await Government attention and restoration work. It is unfortunate to observe that despite Govt claims of bringing legislation and creation of J&K Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Act for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Management of Temples and Shrines in JKUT, many temples or Hindu shrines in Kashmir are still lying abandoned or in pitiable condition. There is no routine worship at many temples because no priests have been engaged there.
VBKP leader urged upon the Lt Governor of JKUT, Manoj Sinha to order physical audit of all these temples lands and get them vacated from the clutches of the land grabbers and appoint a credible controlling authority or set up a committee involving people from good background. He said this issue will be deliberated upon strongly in the Central Committee meeting of the VBKP being held at Gurugram shortly and it will be taken up with the Union Home Ministry.
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