Take final call on Jageshwar temple monuments within 8 weeks: Uttarakhand HC
The directions by Uttarakhand HC were issued while taking cognisance of a letter the HC received from “certain villages in Jageshwar and nearby villages in Almora district with respect to illegal constructions and felling of Deodar trees at Aartola Jageshwar Motor Marg and in addition negligence of other roadside temples.”
The Uttarakhand high court on Thursday directed the authorities concerned to ensure the final decision for conservation and restoration of the protected monuments at Jageshwar temple in Almora district be taken within eight weeks.
HC said it was apprised through an affidavit that the proposal for conservation and restoration of the protected monuments at Jageshwar temple was at the stage of final approval and the “restoration of small shrines located inside the Jageshwar temple premises will be taken up one by one..”
“Similarly, the small shrines located inside the Jageshwar temple be also restored to their glory within a period of one year,” the order said.
The directions were issued by the division bench of acting Chief Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Sharad Kumar Sharma, while taking cognisance of a letter the HC received from “certain villages in Jageshwar and nearby villages in Almora district with respect to illegal constructions and felling of Deodar trees at Aartola Jageshwar Motor Marg and in addition negligence of other roadside temples.”
HC also ordered assistant engineer, construction division, public works department Almora to ensure that no construction work is carried out on Aartola-Jageshwar Motor Road in violation of the UP Road Side Land Control Act as adopted by Uttarakhand.
The court directed the state government to ensure making of by-laws for carrying out construction within a radius of 3km of the Jageshwar temple.
The court said the state government has also imposed a ban on felling of trees within the radius of 3km from main Jageshwar temple through its order dated 18.10.2018.
The HC said it had also been apprised through the counter affidavit that for four temples located adjacent to the protected Kuber temple, “the matter is being processed for protection by declaring them as of ‘national importance’ under Section 4 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.” The court directed the state government the final decision in this regard be taken within eight weeks.
