Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 6: All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee (APMCC) leaders Vinod Pandit, Chairman and King Bharati, National spokesperson alongwith representatives of various temple management committees of Kashmir Valley and Hindu organizations of Jammu demanded that a fresh bill with all amendments proposed by the temple committees must be drafted in consultation with stake holders and all temples and holy places from Jawahar Tunnel to Uri brought under it.
Vinod Pandit warned the government of another agitation if the Bill was diluted in any form.
King Bharati said that the like minded Hindu organizations of Kashmir and Jammu are one on this front adding Government must remember the resolution of the actual ground level working management committees in which it was clearly mentioned that if any temple is kept outside the purview of the Bill they too won’t let their temples be overtaken by the Board.
Soom Nath Saraf of Kapal Mochan Trust Shopian said that representatives of various ground level management committees have resolved that a diluted temple Bill won’t be acceptable to them.
Arun Kandroo, general secretary APMCC and senior KP leader MK Yogi listed the proposed 15 amendments suggested by the working committees adding if the Government tries to accommodate certain influential people by keeping temples under their control out of the purview of the Bill they will be forced to launch an agitation.
Girdhari Lal Bhat of Kheer Bhawani Tikkar said that Government must take into confidence those who are working on actual ground level for the welfare of the temples in Kashmir while Rattan Lal Bhat, Chairman (Sharda Mata Trust, Bandipora) said that that the existing temple management committee’s should have the voting right to elect the members of the Board
Yoginder Singh Jamwal (Mata Katyayani & Bhoot Nath Temple Kakran), suggested inclusion of the Shamshan Bhoomi (cremation grounds) under the definitions of the shrines of Kashmiri Hindus in the Bill.