Over 200 temples in JK have suffered damage: Govt

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday said over 200 temples in the Valley have suffered damage over the years but there were no encroachments on temple land.

In a written reply to Member of Legislative Assembly Chaman Lal Gupta's question in the state assembly, the government said 208 of the 438 temples in the Valley had been damaged over the years.

The government said 57 temples have been damaged in Srinagar, followed by south Kashmir's Anantnag district, where 56 temples have suffered damage.

The government, in its reply, did not elaborate on how the temples were damaged.

The rest of the eight districts in the Valley account for the other damaged temples. The government said while a total of 63 hectares of land was under the 436 temples in the Valley, there were no cases of encroachment on land so far.

Various Kashmiri Pandit organisations have been demanding passing of the bill for protection of Hindu Temples and Shrines in Kashmir.

Giving details of the damage to private properties of migrants in the Valley, the government said nearly 75 per cent of the 1,234 structures in Srinagar district have been gutted while in south Kashmir's Kulgam district, nearly 85 per cent of the 754 structures have been damaged.

"In Srinagar district, most of the migrants have sold their property. However, the unsold properties have been protected in light of provisions of the J&K Migrant Immovable Property Preservation, Protection and Restrain on Distress Sale Act 1997," the government said.