Body of Kashmiri Pandits calls for early passage of temples

An organisation representing Kashmiri Pandits today gave a call for the early passage of the Kashmiri Temples and Shrines Bill in the state legislature.
"We appeal to all stakeholders, including all mainstream political parties, to facilitate passage of the bill in the state assembly in the coming budget session," Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust spokesman R L Bhat told reporters here today.
Bhat hoped that the bill would be passed in the coming session, and said all political leaders, whom they had met, had assured them their support to the bill.
Referring to the opposition to the bill by the Dharmarth Trust headed by Congress leader and MP Karan Singh, he said that Kashmiri Pandits "are pained to find that the trust officials are spreading lies and falsehood" over the issues.

"We had met Singh and offered him to head the Board on Kashmiri temples and shrines after the passage of the bill," he said, adding that "there is an urgent need to set up a board to ensure maintenance of temples and shrines in the Kashmir Valley.
Meanwhile, an organisation of Kashmiri Pandits migrants today held a protest rally demanding the restoration of power supply to a camp here. The protesters, led by the Jagti Tenement Committee (JTC), staged a demonstration in front of the Relief Organisation (Migrants) office, demanding immediate restoration of power supply to the Jagti Migrant Camp in Nagrota belt of Jammu.

JTC president Shadi Lal Pandita submitted a memorandum to the Commissioner of Relief and Rehabilitation.

The protesters demanded that the existing residential blocks be repaired by the government at the earliest for safety of the occupants as the quarters had developed cracks.
They also demanded the enhancement of the cash assistance to Rs 15,000 per family per month.
Their list of demands also included deployment of medical staff and doctors at the camps and construction of a boundary wall around the Jagti camp.