UT administration allots government land to a Hindu charitable trust

By: Javaid Malik MK

Srinagar

In a recent meeting of the Administrative Council (AC), J&K administration has decided to allot nearly 500 kanals of land to a charitable Hindu trust for the purposes of building a temple and other infrastructure.

This is the first allotment of such nature after the abrogation of article 370, and the recent amendments to the land laws in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Kashmir walla, in its report about this allotment, has said that government of Jammu and Kashmir has approved allotment of nearly 500 kanals of its land to the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD) charitable trust on lease for a period of forty years for building of a temple and allied pilgrim infrastructure.

According to an official handout, the allotment of 496 kanal, 17 marla land was approved by the Administrative Council (AC) which met in Jammu under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha on Thursday.

As per the handout, the proposed allied infrastructure to be built at the site includes a pilgrim amenities complex, a ‘vedapathshala’, a meditation centre, office, residential quarters and parking adding that in future, there would also be medical and educational facilities in the premises.

It further said that TTD, a board established by government under the TTD Act, 1932 is a “charitable organization of international repute with a proven track record of activities in the spiritual, cultural, social, and educational sphere”.

The J-K government’s handout said the TTD’s arrival in J-K “will tap the tourism potential particularly pilgrim tourism in Jammu, the city of temples, besides enhancing economic activities.

“Once developed, the TTD infrastructure will be an attraction for the pilgrims and tourists in addition to the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine and Amarnathji Shrine,” it said.

It further said the trust “will enable tourists to come and stay longer in Jammu city” adding “The future development on the campus will also contribute to economic growth of the region”.

With inputs from KW