29 Himachal temples have gold, silver worth Rs 178 crore

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, December 6

Twenty-nine temples under government control in Himachal Pradesh have gold and silver worth Rs 178 crore as per the present value of the precious metals, according to government estimates.

Minister for Health and Revenue Kaul Singh Thakur told the Assembly in response to a question by Congress MLA Asha Kumari today that 29 temples under government control in Himachal had 4.73 quintal gold and 158 quintal silver. He also said the state government had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Mines and Minerals Department for the management of gold and silver lying in state-controlled temples.

The state government intends to mould silver and gold coins from 50 per cent of metal reserves of the temples to sell them to devotees. About 20 per cent of the gold and silver of the temples will be invested in gold bonds of public sector banks, 20 per cent will be kept as reserve in temple chests, while 10 per cent will be used for the upkeep of the temples, Kaul Singh said.

Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal asked how the funds collected as offering from devotees were being spent. To this, Kaul Singh replied that funds were being spent as per the discretion of the management committees of the temples.

Dhumal, however, said the management committees of the temples in some cases were not being taken into confidence and funds were kept at the discretion of those in power.

Sanjay Rattan, Congress MLA from Jawalamukhi, said gold and silver lying in chests of the temples were unsafe and should be managed properly. He said in the Jawalamukhi temple, 1.5 quintals of silver was reportedly reduced in the purification process last time. This had raised doubts about the temple’s management.