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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Sikkim Places of Pilgrimage Management Bill tabled

GANGTOK, 28 Jan: The Minister In-charge of Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, Bhim Dhungel introduced The Sikkim Places of Pilgrimage Management Bill, in the Assembly session today. The bill seeks to ensure better management of places of pilgrimage and religious institutions of the state
Introducing the Bill, the Minister informed that ‘Places of Pilgrimage’ in the context of the present Bill means and includes Thakur Bari Temple at Gangtok, Sai Mandir of Assangthang in Namchi, Munggrung Shakti Sthal, Guru Rinpoche Statue at Samdruptse, Tathagata Tsal at Rabong, Chenrenzi statue in Gyalshing, Mangkhims in Sikkim and such other places as may be notified from time to time.
He explained that the proposed bill provides a comprehensive and self contained legislation regulating mechanism for the purpose of proper management and control of places of pilgrimage and its properties in Sikkim.
The estimated expenditure would approximately be in the range of Rs 1 crore per annum for management and control of places of pilgrimage and its properties while Clause 38 of the Bill empowers the committee to make regulation subject to approval of the state government for carrying out the purpose of the Act.
As per the proposed bill, the Governor of the state shall be Chief Patron and Chief Minister will be Chairman of the Committee. If the Chief Minister does not profess either Buddhist or Hindu religion, the Chairman shall be a Buddhist or Hindu Minister in the Council of Minister as would be nominated by the state government. The Minister in-charge of Tourism and Civil Aviation shall be ex-officio member of the Committee.
The state government is empowered to nominate other members not exceeding three to the Committee and no person who does not profess the Buddhist or Hindu religion shall be eligible for membership. All the members of the Committee other than Chief Patron, Chairman and ex-officio members shall hold office for a period of three years from the date of notification under the sub-section (3) of the Section 4 and shall be eligible for re-nomination.
The state government may suspend or remove any member of the Committee on conviction by a Criminal Court of any offences which in the opinion of the state government involves moral turpitude.
If the state government is of the opinion that the committee is not competent to perform or make default in performing the duties imposed on it under the Act or abuse its powers, the state government may after due enquiry dissolve the Committee and reconstitute another committee within a period of six months from the date of dissolution or supersede the committee as the state government may deem fit.

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