HC asks if Badrinath can be declared a national heritage site

The Uttarakhand High Court has asked the central government if the famous temple of Badrinath can be declared a national heritage site.

A division bench of justices V K Bisht and Manoj Kumar Tiwari posed the query to the Centre yesterday while hearing a public interest lawsuit for shifting of a sewage treatment plant at Badrinath from its current location at the mouth of Alaknanda and Rishi Ganga rivers to prevent the sullying of rivers due to disposal of sewage into them.

The bench asked the Centre to spell out its stand on the issue of declaring Badrinath temple a national heritage site in an affidavit by August 27.

It also directed the Uttarakhand advocate general to discuss with the Urban Development secretary the prospect of developing the region in a special way.

The court also directed the Jal Nigam to inspect the region and present a report to it by August 27 when the matter will be heard next.