The reconstruction work of the Narsinh Temple in Joshimath was supposed to have been completed in one year but three years after being started, it is yet to be completed. As discontent rises among the locals due to the neglectful attitude of the authorities, the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) now plans to complete the work on its own with the contractor failing to do it within the stipulated period.
Reconstruction work of the Narsinh temple in Joshimath at a cost of `6.98 crore was inaugurated in the year 2012-13 by the then chairman of the BKTC and Srinagar MlA Ganesh Godiyal. Since the work slated to be completed in a year is still incomplete three years later, ceremonial worship of lord Narsinh is being conducted nearby at the site where the Adi Shankaracharya’s seat is kept in the winters.
Due to the lack of space here, devotees visiting the shrine experience problems while seeking darshan of lord Narsinh. As the ceremonial worship of Goddess lakshmi during the winter is also conducted inside this structure, the visiting devotees are unable to conduct worship properly.
This is further exacerbating the public discontent especially among the locals. Regarding the protracted delay in completion of the reconstruction, BKTC chief executive officer BD Singh said that the work contract was given to a Ghaziabad based contractor who failed to complete the work as per the period stipulated in the contract.
The committee has served a notice to the contractor and plans to undertake the reconstruction work on its own. He said that the work is expected to be completed by April next year. It now remains to be seen whether the committee will be able to complete the task within a few months after a three-year delay.