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| Purmandal’s condition contradicts LG’s claims | | Tirath Stahan, a sordid saga of unkept promises, official neglect | |  EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Oct 5: Contrary to tall claims of the Lieutenant Governor led Union Territory administration, the fate of several tourist places especially spots like Purmandal known for its religious importance remain neglected as far as their proper development is concerned.
Despite a project for the development of the Purmandal-Uttarbehani religious tourism circuit under Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) was taken up with much fanfare a few years ago, the ground situation of Purmandal and Uttarbehani in its vicinity continues to be the same.
A team of Early Times conducted an on the spot assessment of holy Devika river at Purmandal. After interacting with the locals and seeing the dilapidated condition of the water body as well as the state of other amenities, it has been observed that appropriate corrective measures on immediate basis and on war footing are more than needed to safeguard the ancient pilgrimage centre.
The deteriorating condition of the water body because of prevailing pollution there is a cause of worry not only for the locals but also for the pilgrims visiting the holy place as they fear that if degradation of such magnitude is not checked immediately then a place like Purmandal popularly known as ‘Chotta Kashi’ will be thing of the past.
Heaps of garbage, litter, burnt wood logs and the sewer from the houses, behind and around the temple complex, are flowing directly into the sacred Devika river due to which it is almost on the verge of extinction.
Pollution and contamination of the water body is not a cause of concern but the filth around the sanctum sanctorum is also bringing a bad look to the historical temple complex.
A large number of local residents informed Early Times that there used to be several Bowlis (natural water streams) in the area but majority of them now have become defunct primarily due to the official apathy towards their conservation.
“The Devika river bed is being used as a road, as a cremation ground, as a dumping site and there being unregulated and haphazard construction on both sides. The river bed is a classic example of pollution and lack of sanitation. The quality of water has gone down,” said locals.
“Sarais and Havelis which were constructed at Purmandal by erstwhile Dogra Maharajas for the stay of pilgrims were all in dilapidated condition. These buildings have remained totally uncared for,” they added.
The locals demanded that the concerned authorities should take necessary action for maintaining cleanliness of bathing ghats and proper collections and disposal of garbage away from the temple complex besides ensuring proper maintenance of Sarais and Havelis on a regular basis without causing any further delay in the matter.
It is in place to mention here that the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha took a detailed review of developmental projects at Purmandal in December 2020 and announced a slew of measures to improve and upgrade the facilities at Purmandal and Uttarbehani, however, the condition of instead of improving has deteriorated further over the years.
Lt Governor had announced construction of paved path/track to the temple complex, construction of view points, up-gradation of bathing ghats, installation of focus light and poles with high mast lights and solar lights.
During his visit Lt Governor observed that Purmandal-Uttarbehani can become a major religious and pilgrimage tourism destination. “Religious places like Purmandal and Uttarbehani will attract a lot more tourists which will ultimately give a boost to the religious tourism in the area and development of religious tourism is among the prime focus areas of the Government,” the Lt Governor had said.
He had called upon all stakeholders to come forward and actively play their role so that a large number of people can come and experience the ancient spiritual heritage of the Purmandal and Uttarbahani area. He had suggested that tourist facilities and services like Dharamshala should be developed involving the locals of the area.
However, it seems that the official machinery has scant regard for the observations made by the Lt Governor besides there is hardly any keenness to comply to his directions as the pathetic condition of historical Purmandal is proof enough to show their unwillingness to perform duties in an efficient manner. |
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