STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Shrine Bill for the protection, preservation and management of the temples and shrines in Kashmir is the consensus demand of Exiled Kashmiris. The government should enact the Shrine Bill as the first measure to assure the exiled community that it is sincere in its rehabilitation and return to the Valley.
This was the consensus demand raised of the Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust (PNBMT) during its meeting held here on Wednesday.
Among others the meeting was attended by Drs A.N Pandita, B.L Handoo, R.L Bhat, M.M Thaplo, Pradeep Koul, A.K Raina, Vijay Kashkari, Shiban Khaibri, S L Koul, Shadi Lal Koul, M.L Ganjoo and K.L Bhat.
The speakers at the meeting noted that the State Legislature had passed half a dozen bills creating shrine boards for various temples in Jammu division, over the past few years but no action has taken place in regard to the Shrine Bill, though the pressing need for enactment of the bill for protection and preservation of the temple in the trouble torn Kashmir has been admitted by all parties in general and BJP and PDP, the parties in the ruling coalition in particular.
Most of the Shrines in Jammu have been put under nominated boards, while the Shrine Bill did not give the management of the temples to the government and envisages a democratically elected body to look after the temples of Kashmir, they said.
The meeting was told that delegations of the trust had met most of the cabinet ministers, political leaders, including Chief Minister Mehabooba Mufti, former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Omar Abdullah, state leaders Prof Bhim Singh, Harsh Dev Singh, Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami, and others. All of them have promised support. PNBMT had also met Brig. Suchet Singh, Dr Nirmal Singh, Dr Jitendra Singh, Ashok Khajuria, Bali Bhagat, Ashok Koul and others in this regard. They not only supported the Bill but also had participated in the Dharnas organized by PNBMT.
The meeting resolved to intensify the struggle to ensure that there is no further dodging the enactment of the Shrine Bill.