Friday, 23 June 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
With political squabbling continuing on the alleged replacement of gold with brass in the walls of the sanctum sanctorum of the Kedarnath shrine, the State tourism, religion and culture minister Satpal Maharaj ordered a high-level inquiry committee to be headed by the Garhwal Commissioner. “This committee will get to the bottom of the matter. Along with technical experts, goldsmiths will also be included in the inquiry committee,” the minister said.
Maharaj said that with the State government being very sensitive on this matter related to the revered centre of people’s faith, the Opposition should refrain from blowing things out of proportions. “Action will be taken against whoever is found guilty,” he averred.
As per the provisions laid down in the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Act-1939, donations were accepted from the donors and permission was taken from the State government to make the sanctum sanctorum of Shri Kedarnath temple gold-plated, the minister said.
He said that the gold plating work had been done under the supervision of the experts of the Archaeological Survey of India, adding that the temple committee had no role in it with the entire work being done at the behest of the donor. “However, the probe will finally reveal what has happened,” he added.
