Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 28: The Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust (PNBMT) convened a core group meeting under the chairmanship of C.L. Pandita to deliberate on vital issues concerning the Kashmiri Pandit (KP) community.
The meeting reiterated the Trust’s firm stand that only the passage of the Temples and Shrines Bill can provide a robust mechanism for safeguarding the temples and shrines of Kashmir. It was emphasized that any Board constituted without statutory powers would be ineffective and unable to ensure protection against vandalism or desecration. Virender Raina highlighted that over the last 15 years, PNBMT’s dedicated efforts have created a global consciousness around the protection and restoration of the temples of Kashmir, which has even prompted the Government to initiate renovation of some temples – a move welcomed by the Trust.
However, Raina stressed that post-renovation, the temples require stronger legal safeguards, making the passage of the bill all more essential. The meeting also strongly condemned the disruptive attempts by certain individuals to create confusion and hurdles in the work of community activists striving for the welfare of the KP community.
Kashmiri Lal Bhat a senior member of the Trust informed the meeting about a significant legal victory concerning the farcical mutation of migrant lands in Kashmir, achieved through a suo moto revision order issued by the Additional Commissioner (T), Kashmir under Section 15 of the Land Revenue Act. The case, relating to impugned mutation No. 1059 dated 14.01.2000 of village Watdooro Galwanpora, tehsil Budgam, district Budgam, involved the illegal transfer of migrant property from Suresh Mohan to Abdul Rehman under Section 121 of the Act. The mutation was declared void-ab-initio due to procedural violations and jurisdictional overreach, as such matters fall within the purview of a collector of the first class. The Additional Commissioner recommended setting aside the mutation and initiating a departmental inquiry against the officers involved. This order, now submitted to the Financial Commissioner, Revenue J&K, has the potential to reopen all similar cases of illegal mutations of migrant lands. The meeting concluded with appreciation of these efforts and was attended by Ramesh Marhatta, M.K. Jalali, Bhushan Lal Bhat Nadimarg, Naveen Handoo, Bimal Wantoo, Shadi Lal Koul Rais, M.K. Raina, Sundri Lal Koul, Kuldeep Raina, Shadi Lal Bhat, and M.M. Thaploo.
Follow our WhatsApp channel