Former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat’s pain over the dissolution of the Devasthanam Board once again spilled over. Describing the decision to constitute the Devasthanam Board as far-reaching, he said that if the Board was in place, Joshimath could have been reconstructed with its income.
The government doesn’t have to run around for money. He also said that he could not explain his point to everyone. Talking to the media regarding the disaster caused by landslide in Joshimath, the former Chief Minister said that if there was a Devasthanam Board, it would have earned an income of 125-150 crores.
Joshimath could have been rebuilt with the income that would have been received only from the Chardham Yatra. Don’t have to wander for money. He said that some decisions are taken with long-term thinking. He could not explain this to everyone.
The board was formed during the tenure of Trivendra Singh Rawat government:
The Devasthanam Board was formed during the tenure of BJP’s Trivendra Singh Rawat government. The government constituted the board by issuing its notification on February 25, 2020.
The Chief Minister was made the Chairman of the Board and the Minister of Religion and Culture was made the Vice-Chairman. Ravinath Raman, the then Divisional Commissioner of Garhwal, was given the post of Chief Executive Officer of the Board. Many officers including the Chief Secretary were made its members.
Ever since the formation of the board, the rights holders and the Panda community had started opposing it. The situation became such that the Teerath Singh Rawat government, who took over as Chief Minister after Trivendra Singh Rawat, had to signal a step back in relation to the board.
Pushkar Singh Dhami, who became Chief Minister after Tirath, dissolved the board on November 30, 2021, following the report of a high-level committee and then a cabinet sub-committee. Now after the Joshimath landslide episode, former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has expressed his intention regarding the Devasthanam Board.
