VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Jan. 5: Amid nationwide protests by Jain devotees against declaring Parasnath Sammed Shikhar as a tourist spot by the Jharkhand government, Chief Minister Hemant Soren shot off a missive to the central government to review the August 2019 notification where ecotourism was permitted at Parasnath hills.
Hemant Soren wrote a letter to the union minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav on Thursday. In the letter the Chief Minister stated that Parasnath Sammed Shikharji situated in Giridih district is the centre of faith for Jain devotees across the globe. Hence, in the state tourism policy 2021, the state government included Parasnath for religious tourism. While maintaining the sanctity of the place and religious sentiments of devotees, the government intends to develop this place.
He said that the state government has constituted the Parasnath Tourism Development Authority headed by the Tourism Secretary. It will accommodate six non-official persons as members. With the formation of the authority, commercial activities in the area will be regulated according to the religious sentiments of devotees. The CM said that apart from this, DC and SP of Giridih have been asked to ensure the sanctity of the Parasnath site.
But Jain devotees are now opposing inclusion of Parasnath under any eco-tourism policy framework as they fear that in the long run the sanctity of the place will be destroyed in the name of infrastructure development. The Chief Minister, in the letter, claimed that people are now demanding to withdraw the notification issued by the union ministry.
As allegations and counter allegations are going on, the state government has claimed that in February 2019 the then BJP-Ajsu Party government headed by Raghubar Das had sent a proposal to the central government to include Parasnath for ecotourism.
