Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 4: Government today said more than 200 temples in Kashmir valley were damaged over the years while ruled out encroachments on any of the temple lands.
In a written reply to MLA Chaman Lal Gupta’s question in the State Assembly, the Government said out of 438 temples in Kashmir valley, 208 had been damaged over the years while rest of them are intact.
The Government in the reply said that all 19 temples in the South Kashmir district of Shopian were damage. However, two of them have been re-constructed. In the Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, all 12 temples are intact. Anantnag district in South Kashmir has highest number of 128 temples out of which 72 have been damaged.
The Government reply said that in Bandipora out of 7 ,one temple has been damaged; out of 56 temples in Baramulla, 27 were damaged; out of 49 temples in Kupwara, 28 have been damaged; out of 57 temples in Srinagar, 19 have been damaged; out of 12 temples in Budgam 6 have been damaged; out of 47 temples in Pulwama, 21 have been damaged and out of 30 temples in Kulgam, 17 have been damaged.
However, the Government, in its reply, did not elaborate the cause of the damage of these temples.
However, Kashmiri Pandit organizations are alleging that the temple land has been encroached and sold at several places across Kashmir. In order to save these temples and their land, the organizations have been demanding passing of bill in the State Assembly for the protection of Hindu temples and shrines in Kashmir.
Giving details of the damage to the private properties of migrants in the Valley, the Government said nearly 75 per cent of the 1234 structures in Srinagar district have been gutted while in South Kashmir Kulgam district nearly 85 per cent of the 754 structures have been damaged.
The Government said that there are 250 hectares of migrant Pandit land in Srinagar. “In Srinagar district, immovable property is voluminous. Most of the migrants have sold their property. However, the unsold properties have been protected in light of provisions of the J&K Migrant Immovable Property Preservation, Protection and Restrain on Distress Sale Act 1997. And wherever encroachments are noticed they are removed through the tehsildars of the area,” the Government said in its reply.
The Government further said that there are 1054 migrant families of Jammu division with maximum of 486 families from Reasi district. The reply said that Government has received a proposal for their rehabilitation from Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner and the matter was taken up with the Finance Department but the file was returned with some observations which are being examined.
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