E-Paper
Kedarnath gold plating row: State govt to set up high-level inquiry committee
State tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said that the Opposition parties should not try to disturb the Char Dham Yatra by giving unnecessary weightage to this sensitive matter
A day after the row over gold plating in Kedarnath Dham temple intensified, with Congress staging a protest and demanding an independent inquiry by a sitting high court judge, state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj on Friday ordered the setting up of a high-level inquiry committee under the chairmanship of Garhwal commissioner.
Along with technical experts, a goldsmith will also be included in the inquiry committee, said the minister.
Maharaj said that the Opposition parties should not try to disturb the Char Dham Yatra by giving unnecessary weightage to this sensitive matter which is related to faith.
Also Read: Kedarnath gold plating row: Congress stages protests; seeks probe by HC judge
“Instructions have for the constitution of an inquiry committee and action will be taken against whoever is found guilty after the committee gives its findings”, he said.
The tourism minister said that the state government is extremely sensitive about this matter.
“It is my humble request that such matters should not be made part of any controversies. As per the provisions laid down in the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Act-1939, donations have been accepted from the donors and permission has been taken from the state government to make the sanctum sanctorum of Shri Kedarnath temple gold-plated”, he said
Maharaj said that the gold plating work was done under the supervision of the experts of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
“Permission was granted by Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) for plating the walls of the sanctum sanctorum of Kedarnath temple with gold in accordance with the spirit of the donor. It has also been clarified earlier that the work of making the sanctum sanctorum golden has been done by the donor himself. Copper plates were prepared by the donor from the jewellers at his own level and then gold layers were put on them. The donor got these plates installed in the temple through his jewellers”, he said.
He added that the entire work from buying gold to installing it on the walls of the temple was done by the donor.
“The temple committee had no direct role in this. Official bills and vouchers for gold and copper plates were also handed over to BKTC after the completion of the work. However, whatever may be the truth, it will be ascertained, and further action will be ensured only after the investigation by the inquiry committee”, he said.
The development follows a controversy that erupted after some priests associated with Kedarnath Dham alleged financial irregularities in gold decoration carried out inside the sanctum sanctorum of Kedarnath Temple last year to which the BKTC denied such allegations terming them “baseless” and part of a conspiracy to malign the image of BKTC and the state government.
According to Ajendra Ajay, president BKTC, which manages Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines, “Some priests have deliberately mixed up things and made baseless allegations.
“Gold is always put on copper plates. It is never only gold. And gold has worn out at just one place in the sanctum sanctorum. Craftsmen had come on June 17 to repair the worn-out spot. Around 23kg gold worth ₹14 crore and 1001kg copper worth ₹ 9 lakh was used in gold plating inside the temple. The allegations of financial irregularity to the tune of ₹ 115 crores are totally baseless”, he said.
