The Uttar Pradesh assembly, on Thursday, passed three bills to set up a pilgrimage development board for protecting and preserving the ancient cultural heritage in pilgrimage centres Ayodhya, Devi Patan in Balrampur district and Shukra Teerth in Muzaffarnagar district.
The bills, tabled by Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh, are Uttar Pradesh Shri Shukra Teerth Development Board Bill, 2023, Uttar Pradesh Shri Devi Patan Teerth Development Board Bill, 2023 and Uttar Pradesh Shri Ayodhya Ji Teerth Development Board Bill, 2023. All the three boards are being set up on the lines of UP Braj Teerth Development Board. The three teerth boards will act as the nodal agency which would coordinate with various departments to make the pilgrim centres better and boost religious tourism through coordinated efforts.
The chief minister will be the chairman of all the three boards, the tourism minister will be the vice-chairman while five eminent persons will be nominated by the state government to these boards.
The headquarters of Shukra Teerth Board will be at Muzaffarnagar, and of Devi Patan Teerth Board in Balrampur district.
The decision to set up the teerth boards was taken in the state cabinet meeting held at Ayodhya on November 9. The cabinet then had also adopted a proposal to accord status of international research institute to Ayodhya Shodh Sansthan, paving way for enhanced budget and resources for the centre that plays a key role in organising Deepotsav on the eve of Diwali and the important fairs held in the temple town.
Piloting the three bills in the assembly, Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh said the state government was vigorously working to protect and preserve the ancient cultural heritage of the state. He said all important religious centres of Sanatan dharm – Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, Krishna Janmabhoomi temple at Mathura besides Vrindavan and Gokul, Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, temple complex at Bateshwar in Agra, Shukra Taal Teerth in Muzaffarnagar district besides important ancient sites of Buddhism and Jain dharma were also in Uttar Pradesh.
The minister said after the inauguration of the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor in Varanasi in November 2020 and laying of the foundation of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple at Ayodhya in August 2020, there had been a 199 per cent increase in number of pilgrims and tourist visiting the state. He said the increase in footfalls of pilgrims and tourists had led to sharp increase in revenue as one tourist creates at least six jobs.
He said new records were created by lighting ‘diyas’ in Deepotsav during the Deepawali in Ayodhya. “We have broken our own record by lighting 22 lakh diyas in Ayodhya this year,” he added.
He said diplomats from 54 nations attended the Deepotsav at Ayodhya ahead of Diwali.
“As many as 12 lakh diyas were lit in Varanasi on November 27 to mark the Dev Deepawali festival where diplomats from 70 countries were also present. The diplomats present at Ayodhya and Varanasi will act as cultural ambassadors of India back home in their native country,” the minister said.
The opposition members opposing the three bills said “there is undue haste and the government wants to rush with the bills”.
Samajwadi Party leader Lalji Verma demanded that the three bills be referred to the select committee of the assembly for further deliberation.
Speaker Satish Mahana, however, did not agree with the demand of the opposition members and the bills were later adopted by the House.
