Reckless expenditure mars Deotsidh temple’s development

Dinesh Kanwar

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Despite receiving offerings worth crores of rupees annually, Baba Balak Nath temple at Deotsidh in Hamirpur district cries for development. There are hardly any facilities available for devotees visiting the temple complex.

The temple, which was taken over by the state government in 1987, has earned over Rs 400 crore over the years. However, despite tall claims made by successive governments in the past 30 years, it is yet to be connected by a ropeway. 

Significantly, the pilgrimage to Baba Balak Nath covers two temples, including Baba Balak Nath temple on Dhaulgiri hill at Deotsidh and Baba Balak Nath temple at Shahtalai on the foothills of Dhaulgiri hill. 

Apart from connectivity by road and concrete pavement, there is a need for a ropeway to connect both temples, as it involves a steep climb. Insufficient parking facility at Deotsidh is another problem being faced by those who visit the temple. Local MLAs proposed to install the ropeway several times, but the proposal is yet to see the light of day. Despite receiving close to Rs 25 crore every year through donations, the temple trust has been unsuccessful in setting up a proper hospital on the campus. The available government health facility is unable to meet the requirement of thousands of devotees that throng the temple.

Pilferage of funds is another key issue and allegations of theft are very common. The temple trust that was headed by the Deputy Commissioner tried various ways to check the menace and controlled pilferage earlier by installing CCTV cameras. Lakhs of rupees were spent on the computerised automation of temple trust records, but despite efforts, pilferage of funds could not be ruled out.

Not only this, too many staff members have been deployed at the temple and educational institutions. 

Notably, the temple trust runs a school, a degree college, a Sanskrit college and a gaushala, where a major part of the income is spent.

Ravinder Singh, a social activist, said: “It is surprising that every year the income of the temple increases by 10 per cent and the expenditure, too, increases by 10 per cent. They never had extra funds. So, can they think of adding any new project to the development plan?”

Another source said the trust management tries to strike a balance between income and expenditure and is left with no scope for saving funds for major development projects. 

It was also alleged that politicians, as and when they get a chance, try to siphon off the temple trust funds, directly or indirectly. The temple trust purchased a unit of tourism corporation ‘Hotel Deotsidh’, which was declared an ‘unfruitful property’ by the HPTDC. The hotel was later sold by the trust to a private player at much lesser cost than the purchased cost. In 1987, the income of Baba Balak Nath temple Deotsidh was shown close to Rs 13.5 lakh annually. But the recent records show that the income has increased manifold in the past six years.

Surendra Kumar, a resident of Deothsidh village, said: “The Trust has built a sarai on the campus by spending over Rs 2crore, but basic facilities and amenities are nowhere to be seen. There is a health centre, but it only proves to be a white elephant, as villagers are hardly able to avail the service as doctors are rarely available. Most of the times, patients are referred to nearby hospitals at Hamirpur and Badsar areas and it has been reduced to a referral health centre only.”

The income in the first month of 2019-20 financial year had shown an increase of 6 per cent and the temple trust has earned over Rs 3.5 lakh merely by selling merchandise including flags, rods, utensils and by donating ration items.

Despite being a rich and famous sidh peeth, pilgrims are yet to get proper facilities at the temple. 

Temple Officer OP Lakhanpal said: “The income of the temple is used for the upkeep of facilities for pilgrims. Baba Balak Nath Temple Trust runs a college and school, too! Regular langar is operated to provide free meals to pilgrims at the temple. The donation in the last one month has increased by 6 per cent and is expected to increase in the coming days.”

He said he had no information pertaining to ropeway project as he joined recently.

Mahant Rajinder Giri, the religious head of Baba Balak Nath seat at Deotsidh, said: “I want that more development should be carried out on the temple complex. The temple receives crores of rupees as donations every year, but still a lot more needs to be done.”