A BJP leader on Monday appealed to Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik to constitute Kashmiri Hindu temples and shrines board (KHTSB) for protection, promotion and management of revered places of pandits in the Valley.
BJP state spokesperson on Kashmir affairs Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo said return and resettlement of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community are very important issues of concern.
"Prelude to that, it is paramount to organise the Hindu temples and shrines of Kashmir for which there is a need for the establishment of a board through a bill or an ordinance," Chrungoo, a prominent pandit leader, said.
In context of the recent historic decisions, including scrapping of special status to Jammu and Kashmir, he said time has come to make concrete advances and for that it is important to realise the geo-political and fundamental aspirations of the indigenous people of Kashmir, the Kashmiri Pandits, as early as possible.
"It is appealed to the governor to take this issue on priority as a measure public welfare issue concerning the historical and cultural legacy of Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits, and announce the formation of a Kashmir Hindu temples and shrines board," the BJP leader said.
He said the board is a must for protection, promotion and management of revered places of Kashmiri Pandits and the lands and properties attached to them.
"This will pave the way to erase the shadows of encroachment on these places of worship and their properties throughout the length and breadth of the Kashmir Valley," Chrungoo said.