The Gujarat government has decided to form a task force to conduct in-depth research and take appropriate action on various issues concerning (Jain pilgrimage site) Palitana.
State Home Minister, Harsh Sanghavi said that “Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel today took a decision to form a task force which will take action after thoroughly studying the issues.”
A police chowky (outpost) will be set up at Shetrunjaya Hills and a police sub-inspector will be in charge there, the minister informed. Adding more he said one person has been arrested in the case.
A Jain community leader, Mahendra Shah, welcomed the government’s proactive approach. “The illegal mining has been going on in Shatrunjaya Hills since 2017. Also, there is a lot of encroachment. We have been taking out rallies to raise the issue for the last 10 days,” he said.
Rallies have been held in Bhavnagar, Ahmedabad, Surat, and even Mumbai by Jain organisations demanding action against alleged “illegal activities” in the area, which is home to over 800 Jain temples. They claim that illegal mining and liquor sales are taking place in the area, desecrating the holy site. Jain leaders have demanded that illegal mining be stopped and that encroachments in the area be removed.
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