Headlines
What basic amenities can be provided to Ayodhya pilgrims, asks SC
New Delhi, March 20
The Supreme Court on
Friday asked the central and Uttar Pradesh governments what basic
amenities and facilities that can be made available to the pilgrims
going to Ayodhya to offer prayers at the makeshift temple on the
disputed Babri Masjid-Rama Janmabhoomi site.
Seeking a response
by both governments uin four weeks, a bench headed by Justice Anil R.
Dave asked Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy and senior
counsel Mohan Prasaran to provide a list of the facilities that they
were seeking for the pilgrims.
Hearing the application by Swamy
and Deoki Nandan Agarwala, the court was told that thousands of pilgrims
going to Ayodhya were not being provided with basic amenities and
facilities like drinking water, toilets, cloak rooms and bathing
facilities even though they make payment and there was a huge corpus of
money.
The court was told that pilgrims were walking four
kilometres holding their foot wear in their hands to have the 'darshan'
of Lord Rama's idols.
Swamy has sought the relaxation of
"overzealous oppressive restrictions" that the pilgrims have to face
during their visit to Ayodhya to have the darshan of Lord Rama's idol
placed at improvised platform at the disputed site.
He has sought
the enforcement of "each and every" of the February 23, 1996 directions
of the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court which includes
arrangements for proper parking of vehicles and free movement of
pilgrims till they reach the pathway leading directly to the improvised
platform where the idol is installed.
The apex court had on May 10, 1996 ordered status quo in the wake of the orders passed by the high court.
The
high court's order said that the authorities must provide free cloak
room facilities for pilgrims to keep their belongings for the time they
spend in praying to Lord Rama's idol, and these rooms should be so
located so that pilgrims are not made to travel long distance to collect
them on their return journey.
Directing authorities to make
available civic amenities in sufficient number, it had directed separate
facilities for men and women.
It had noted that since the entire
pathway traversed by pilgrims for the darshan is 450 yards and fenced
on both sides by high poles and barbed wire, the chances of infiltration
are quite remote, and thus, instead of checks at every 50 yards, they
should be done at two points only.