KPs hope Omar will keep his promise on Temple bill`s passage

Migrant Kashmiri Pandits expressed hope that CM Omar Abdullah would keep his promise to enact the law providing for preservation of Hindu temples, shrines and religious places in J&K.

Jammu: Migrant Kashmiri Pandits today expressed hope that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would keep his promise to enact the law providing for preservation of Hindu temples, shrines and religious places in the state. "We hope that the Chief Minister would keep his promise to enact the bill providing for the establishment of a democratic and elected Shrine Board for for maintenance and management of the temples and shrines in Kashmir, and safeguard them from further vandalism," Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust (PNBMT) Chief Spokesman R L Bhat said here. Omar had said at a function on January 5 here that the state government will bring a bill in the coming Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly in this regard. Bhat said the NC had taken a lead in presenting the J&K Hindu Shrines and Religious Places (Management and Regulation) Bill in the Assembly, but regretted that despite repeated assurances the bill was still pending. Terming the enactment of the bill as the biggest Confidence Building Measure (CBM), he said it was a test for the government as well as the other mainstream parties of the state to prove their sensitivities and concerns for the displaced community. He also pointed out that two years back the CM had promised to bring an ordinance in this regard and hoped that the new promise would not be ignored when the next session of the Assembly is convened.