Dehradun: The Badrinath-Kedarnath Mandir Samiti on Monday issued notices to 188 unlawful occupants of its properties inside and outside Uttarakhand, threatening legal action against the encroachers.
The temple committee owns properties not only in Garhwal and Kumaon regions of Uttarakhand but also in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
These properties were given as donations in the name of Badrinath and Kedarnath by devotees.
Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) chairman Ajendra Ajay said soon after assuming office in 2022 it came to his notice that many properties owned by the temple committee inside and outside the state were illegally occupied by people.
“I sought details of such properties and their illegal occupiers. A total of 188 encroachers have been served with notices. Some more such encroachers have been identified. We are preparing to send them notices soon. If they don’t vacate our properties immediately legal action will be taken against them,” Ajay said. A drive was launched last year against people who had taken our land, dharamshalas or business space on lease but were not paying rent in accordance with the clauses of the contract, he said.
Revenue worth Rs 22 lakh has been recovered from them, he added.
The BKTC has 17 acres of land in the name of Badrinath in Muradnagar in Maharashtra, 11,020 square feet land in Lucknow, 42 bighas of land in Ramnagar besides other properties in Dehradun, Chamoli and Haldwani.
—PTI