Sanjay Saraf demands restoration of temple lands in Kashmir

Srinagar, May 11 (IANS) Sanjay Saraf, the general secretary of Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, said on Thursday that land for temples should be restored in Kashmir.

Talking to mediapersons here, Saraf said that according to a rough estimate, in 1988-89, the temple lands in the Valley were worth approximately Rs 2,000 crore and with the passage of time, these lands have noticeably vanished, reducing their size to a very small proportion.

He urged the J&K administration and the Lieutenant Governor to investigate the matter and make public the land records and who sold them.

He said these lands need to be restored, and be given back to the temple authorities.

Saraf also urged the L-G to form a committee of minimum 15 to 20 members from the community on the pattern of Gurudwara Prabandhak committees till temple bill is passed in the assembly/Parliament.

Saraf also raised objection over the leasing of the land of Durga Nag Trust in Sonawar to Paras Hospital.

He said the lease deed was given to the Amla family in 1999 and subsequently in 2010, the Amla and Tramboo families formed a company that directly subleased the temple land to the Paras Hospital group.

He said under the supervision of the divisional commissioner of Kashmir, the lands and properties given on lease by the Durga Nag Trust should be investigated and a new direct lease should be formed between Durga Nag Trust and Paras Hospital that will eventually serve the common people and also protect the temple land.

Other than this lease, he also specified that Durga Nag Trust has leased temple land to many other business centres which needs a thorough investigation.

He said that for the first time, trust lands have been given to a sector involved in human welfare and improvement. Saraf demanded that 15-20 per cent reservation at Paras Hospital should be given to the members of the minority community.