The priests of the Char Dham temples on Saturday temporarily withdrew their agitation for the dissolution of the Devasthanam Board after Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami assured them that their concerns will be addressed by October 30.
Eight Char Dham priests have also been invited to be part of the high-powered committee looking into the Devasthanam Board issue, they said.
Priests of the Himalayan temples have long been demanding the dissolution of the board that they see as an encroachment upon their rights.
Constituted during the chief ministership of Trivendra Singh Rawat, the Devasthanam Board is mandated to run the affairs of 51 temples in Uttarakhand, including the Char Dham.
However, soon after taking over, former chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat announced during Kumbh that the temples will be removed from the board's control. But he had to step down before he could keep his word.
"The chief minister assured us that our rights will remain intact. We will get representation in the high-powered committee looking into the Devasthanam Board issue and our concerns will be addressed," Gangotri Mandir Samiti president and Char Dham mahapanchayat convenor Suresh Semwal said after a delegation of priests met Dhami.
"On an assurance from him that a solution to the issue will be found by October 30, we have decided to suspend our stir till then," he said.
Dhami said the government will make a decision that is in the interest of the state after the high-powered committee headed by Manohar Kant Dhyani submits its report.
He said he hoped that the committee will listen to the priests and come up with a solution to the issue.
"Dhyani ji has worked among priests all his life. The only purpose of constituting the committee is to listen to the priests," the chief minister said.
Dhami said the infrastructural development of Char Dham is the responsibility of the state government. Starting the Char Dham Yatra is also a priority.
Char Dham mahapanchayat member Umesh Sati said the priests will decide their future course of action on the basis of the outcome of the government's efforts.
"We have high expectations from the young chief minister... Our next course of action will depend on the outcome of the ongoing efforts," he said.
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