Hearing on a public interest litigation on the lack of basic facilities in the Tungnath temple area, the high court has issued a notice to the Rudraprayag district magistrate directing him to inspect the area and submit a report in the court within four weeks. The petition will be taken up for hearing next in the second week of February.
Rohit Dandriyal, Ankita Baluni and others had filed the PIL stating that the Tungnath temple, Chopta and other nearby areas were bereft of basic facilities like electricity and water supply. According to the petitioners, they had complained about this to the district magistrate, chief minister and even the prime minister. However, the problems were not resolved. Apart from the local residents, thounsands of people arrive in Tungnath every year to pay obeisance to lord Shiva.
After hearing the petition, the high court division bench headed by the chief justice issued a notice to the Rudraprayag district magistrate and directed him to submit a report in the court. It is pertinent to mention here that located at an altitude of more than 12,000 feet, the Tungnath temple is one of the highest temples of lord Shiva in the world and is believed to be about 5,000 years old. It is also one of the Panch Kedar shrines in Uttarakhand.