Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, June 18: Realizing the importance of Kashmiri Hindu Shrines and Religious Places Bill, the Congress is all set to get it passed during . Autumn session of the State Legislature to be held in Srinagar.
According to highly placed sources the Congress, which is under constant pressure from the Kashmiri Pandits whose leaders have also taken up the issue with Party High Command in New Delhi did not want to lose any more time in passage of the much talked about KP Hindu Shrines Bill.
Sources said the Congress state president Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz has taken a personnel interest in this regard and has discussed the issue threadbare with senior functionaries of the Party in the State as well the prominent members of Kashmiri Pandit community.
Sources said Prof Soz has made it clear to the party leaders in the State that passage of the Bill will lead to Confidence Building Measure (CBMs) among the community and a base for their return to the Valley.
Sources said that Prof Soz has asked the Minister of Housing, Horticulture and Culture Raman Bhalla to act as a link between the Kashmiri Pandits and the Government regarding the passage of the Bill and find out the modalities as to how the Bill can be passed as early as possible. It may be recalled that the Kashmiuri Hindu Shrines and Religious Places Bill which was introduced in last budget Session in the Assembly in March-April was sent to Select Committee for consideration.
Sources said Congress was already annoyed with the National Conference (NC) for not including any member from the Party in the Select Committee constituted by the Speaker Assembly Mubarak Gul on May 17 to consider the Bill and discuss it threadbare before its passage.
However one of the Congress leaders informed a delegation of KPs at Srinagar on Monday that Select Committee is no issue as the Party is particular for the passage of the Bill and it can frame an opinion with the coalition partner for passage of the Bill.
Sources said the Congress High Command is also in favour of the passage of the Bill as the issue is linked to aspirations of the lakhs of Kashmiri Pandit community all over the globe. The issue was taken with UPA chairpersons Sonia Gandhi by Ahmed Patel her Political Secretary and senior Congress leader on the request of some KP leaders recently.
Sources said Congress has decided to study the issue of religious places of Hindus in Kashmir from case to case basis and those bodies and trusts who make claim on religious property will be asked to give some relevant proof which justifies their claim otherwise these trusts will not be allowed to become any hurdle in the passage of the Bill how influential they may be.
When contacted, Prof Soz said that his Party wanted that there should be a mechanism for the protection of Hindu Shrines and Religious Places in Valley. He told Excelsior that when there is Wakf Board for protection of Shrines and religious places of Muslims and Gurdwara Prabandhak Board for protection of religious places of Sikh community why be a Shrine Board for protection of Shrines of Kashmiri Hindus in the Valley can’t be set up?
He however said that Party did not want any interference be made with Dharmarth Trust which is managing some shrines in the State but for the protection of rest of the religious places, Congress favoured formation of the Board and we will see that the Bill was be passed.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits led by B L Bhat Katal of Pt Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust also met Mr Bhalla at Kheer Bhawani and Minister of Tourism Ghulam Ahmed Mir at Srinagar yesterday and discussed the condition of Hindu religious places in Valley with them. The duo was asked to use their good offices in enactment of law for preservation of age old religious places which are the cultural monuments of the Valley linked to hundreds years old rich civilization of Kashmir.
Mr Bhalla has assured them that Congress Party was keen in passage of the Bill and Party is working hard in this direction.
They also expressed concern over the denial of permission to members of the community to visit the holy temple of Lord Shiva situated on the bank on Neelnag, Veerinag by the Veerinag Development Authority (VDA) without seeking the proper tickets from the VDA.
Another delegation led by senior Congress leader Ashok Bhan and M K Koul chairman National Peace Movement (NPM) M K Koul met Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad and stressed on passage of the Bill for upkeep and maintenance of KP shrines and religious places in Valley which is the long pending demand of the community. The delegation also demanded construction of a satellite township for displaced people in the Valley.
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