Notice to CS, Una Una DC on lack of parking lot at Mata Chintpurni Temple

Legal Correspondent

Shimla, September 7

The HP High Court today issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (PWD), Una Deputy Commissioner, SDM of Amb, and the Temple Officer of Mata Chintpurni Temple on the issue of a lack of parking space on the Talwara bypass near the temple in Una district.

A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua passed the order on a petition taken up suo moto by the court as a PIL on a letter by Vijay Singh addressed to the Chief Justice.

It was alleged in the letter that the Chintpurni Temple is one of the richest temples having a high income and there are two main roads leading to Chintpurni, one from Bharwain through the new bus stand towards the temple and the other from Talwara, Dasua and other big cities of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, through the Shitla Mata Temple.

It was alleged that due to the lack of parking space devotees and local residents faced problems as traffic jams were a regular feature.

It stated that the police had given to the temple administration in writing that a parking lot should be constructed and resolutions to this effect were passed by many gram panchayats. Local residents had also brought the problem to the notice of the temple administration but nothing had been done till date.

The petitioner alleged that the high court passed directions in 2008 for the construction of a parking lot near the temple, but the orders were not complied with. The petitioner prayed for directions to the temple administration for the construction of a parking lot on the Talwara bypass near it in a time-bound manner so that lakhs of devotees and local residents are relieved of traffic jams.

The court directed the state authorities to file their replies within four weeks.