Settle 32 panda ghats near Yamuna area’
Nalini Ranjan
New Delhi, May 1
In the wake of demolition of two panda ghats, the Yamuna Ghat Panda
Association (YGPA) has given a memorandum to the Urban Development Ministry,
demanding that 32 panda ghats linked with the association in the Yamuna
Bazar area should be resettled only in the Yamuna Ghat area, otherwise they
would not be able to perform ‘karmkanda’ and other rituals resulting in
hampering their ancient Vedic profession.
The association also threatened to stop all rituals if the government
machinery tried to muzzle its voice.
According to the joint president of the association Mr Panna Lal Sharma and
Mr Madan Lal Mishra, they were not against the High Court’s recent order,
but wanted to be resettled near the Yamuna Ghat area as without the
proximity to the river, they could not perform ‘anusthans’ and ‘karamkandas’
.
“We should be given a timeframe to present our side in this regard. The DDA
had given April 17 as a deadline to shift the area and given an option to
take 12.5 yards of land in lieu of every registered ghat, but we have
rejected the offer. We are not beggars. We command respect in society and
are capable of waging fight for our rights,” he said.
....................................
“We are bound by the court laws as in the preview of the court, all 32 panda
ghats are illegal and we have to evacuate the site. According to the court’s
order, no new construction will be allowed within the 300-meter range of the
bank of the Yamuna. We are offering them alternative chunks of land, but
they are reluctant to accept,” he commented.
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http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060502/delhi.htm#7
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