STATE TIMES NEWS
MATHWAR: Senior National Conference leader, Somnath Khajuria, who was nominee in the just concluded elections to District Development Councils from the Nagrota-Mathwar segment on Saturday sought establishment of shrine board on the analogy of Shiv Khori Shrine Board for the ancient and historic Mathwar Babaji Gaddi, which has been destination for thousands of devotees from various parts of the country, saying this is imperative for its upkeep and infrastructural development. “The shrine board for the Mathwar Babaji Gaddi is a long pending demand of the devotees and locals of the area and the issue will be taken up with Lt Governor Manoj Sinha by the residents”, Khajuria, himself an ardent devotee of the Babaji, said in a message of gratitude to his supporters who voted for him in the elections and polled over 10,000 votes despite his hospitalisation in the wake of ailment at the beginning of the campaign. Khajuria said he was overwhelmed by the support and affection of voters and said the trust reposed in him is in fact the good work done on developmental front by the former MLA Devender Singh Rana.
He said consistent efforts of Rana during over three year short term as MLA has been a testament of sincerity and commitment towards the people of Nagrota Assembly Constituency. He said the odyssey of development will be carried forward by knocking every door and every agency of the administration. On the development of Babaji Gaddi, Khajuria said the spiritually blissful shrine has been the destination of devotees from time immemorial and therefore needs to be developed on priority by pooling all the resources, including the offerings of the devotees. These offerings, which run in crores of rupees, can be managed optimally by the board which is needed to be constituted for the purpose.
He hoped that the Lt. Governor in his capacity as Chairman Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board will consider the demand of the people and take all necessary measures for restoration of the pristine glory of the Babaji Ki Gaddi, which can become a source of economic activity for the people of the area.
