Reacting to protests with the aid of using Jains over designating their predominant shrine Sammed Shikharji in Jharkhand as an eco tourism vacation spot, the imperative authorities has halted all such sports withinside the large Parasnath Hills sanctuary. It has additionally informed the kingdom to acts strictly in opposition to banned practices which includes intake of liquor or “defiling of webweb sites of spiritual and cultural significance” or harm to the ecology.
Jain network leaders, a number of whom met Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav today, worry that designating the region as a visitor vacation spot may “harm its sanctity”. Sammed Shikhar falls withinside the eco-touchy area of Parasnath Wildlife Sanctuary and Topchanchi Wildlife Sanctuary. There is a listing of prohibited sports that can not take region in and across the distinctive eco-touchy area. Restrictions can be accompanied in letter and spirit. pic.twitter.com/aTX5aKkvbH
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) January five, 2023
Earlier today, Chief Minister Hemant Soren wrote to the Centre to seek “suitable choices” on its 2019 notification. He wrote that the kingdom’s 2021 tourism policy — it’s also being hostile with the aid of using the network — is for forming a control board that may higher control the shrine
Led with the aid of using the kingdom’s Tourism Secretary, it’s going to have six non-authorities participants who’re being selected from the Jain network, the letter stated. It brought that the network’s competition turned into to putting forward Parasnath Hills, in which the shrine is located, as an “eco tourism” area. The letter got here days after the Union Environment Ministry wrote to the kingdom asking it to “advocate vital changes for similarly requisite action”.
About hours later, The Union Ministry issued a memo announcing that the 2019 notification’s clause managing tourism sports be “stayed” immediately. Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, too, stated at a press meet that “not anything can be carried out to damage anyone’s spiritual feelings”. He burdened that eco tourism supposed no everlasting structures, eating places and such, in that area. The Centre’s memo similarly stated that as a minimum participants of the control board should be from the Jain network.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress authorities has been arguing that the unique notifications have been carried out with the aid of using BJP governments, and that the Centre desires to act. BJP’s Raghubar Das, who turned into leader minister in 2019, has additionally stated that incorrect choices may be corrected now.
The shrine in Parasnath Hills in Giridih district, domestic to the very best height withinside the kingdom a few one hundred sixty km from kingdom capital Ranchi, is the various holiest locations of the Jains, consisting of for each Digambar and Shwetambar sects, as 20 of the 24 Jain Tirthankaras are believed to have attained ‘moksha’ (salvation) here.
Jains are a small minority — round 1 in keeping with cent of India’s population — however were influential in commercial enterprise and shape approximately five in keeping with cent of Mumbai City district, taken into consideration the country’s monetary capital.