Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday (30 November) announced that the BJP government in the state has decided to repeal the Char Dham Devasthanam Board Management Act.
The announcement comes after a high-level committee set up by the Dhami government to look into the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act, 2019 submitted its final report to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in Rishikesh on Sunday.
Under the act, which was passed by the BJP government in Uttarakhand in 2019 during the tenure of the then CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, the administration of 51 temples including the Char Dham - Shri Badrinath, Shri Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri- was handed over to Char Dham Devasthanam Board.
However, priests of the Chardham -- Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri -- opposed the formation of board, which they see as an encroachment upon their rights, and have been demanding its dissolution.
Soon after taking over, former chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat announced that the temples will be removed from the board's control. But he had to step down before he could keep his word.
(With inputs from PTI)
An Appeal...
Dear Reader,
As you are no doubt aware, Swarajya is a media product that is directly dependent on support from its readers in the form of subscriptions. We do not have the muscle and backing of a large media conglomerate nor are we playing for the large advertisement sweep-stake.
Our business model is you and your subscription. And in challenging times like these, we need your support now more than ever.
We deliver over 10 - 15 high quality articles with expert insights and views. From 7AM in the morning to 10PM late night we operate to ensure you, the reader, get to see what is just right.
Becoming a Patron or a subscriber for as little as Rs 1200/year is the best way you can support our efforts.