The Uttarakhand government on Tuesday abolished the Chardham Devasthanam Board. CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “After studying all the aspects, we have decided to withdraw the Chardham Devasthanam Board Act.”
The priests of Chardham have been demanding the abolition of the board ever since its creation in 2019, saying it was a violation of their traditional rights over the temples.
A high-level committee constituted by Dhami to look into the issue of Devasthanam Board submitted its recommendations to the Chief Minister in Rishikesh on Sunday.
“We have gone through the details of the report submitted by the panel headed by Manohar Kant Dhyani. After considering all aspects of the issue, our government has decided to withdraw the Act,” Dhami said.
Formed during the tenure of former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the Chardham Devasthanam Board manages the affairs of 51 temples across the state, including the famous Himalayan temples of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.