Holy Garbage!

From Vijay Sabharwal

Kurukshetra: The Haryana government recently re-imposed an order banning the sale and preparation of non-vegetable foods within the municipal limits of Thanesar, the religious zone of Kurukshetra. With a population of over 2 lakhs drawn from various religions and faiths, the official notification is intended to maintain the sanctity of the holy places here. However, locals rue the fact that the administration does not display a similar enthusiasm when it comes to maintaining cleanliness and hygiene of the holy places here.

Pilgrims visiting holy places of worship leave a trail of garbage and filth behind them that can be seen littered around the holy water tank. The efforts of the Kurukshetra Development Board to appeal to the conscience of pilgrims by erecting signboards reminding them of their civic duty obviously go unheeded.

 

Garbage and litter around Hindu temples and ‘tirthas’ here seems to be the unintended consequence of the good intentions of charitable individuals and organisations – while they come here to distribute food and alms to beggars in the area with noble intentions, the used plastic plates, carry-bags and other waste finds their way to the surroundings, without care nor concern for cleanliness. 

 

Another source of the rubbish and litter is a community of religious saints that inhabits the washrooms and shelters built within the compounds of the Brahmasarovar and Sannehit tanks – locals allege that these dwellers do not make any effort to keep the area clean. In fact, many allege that the saffron clothing and religious identities of many are a cover for illicit activities. Avadh Kumar Gupta, who sells religious books near the Brahmsarovar, said, “These people never talk about religion or give any religious sermons. Their get by on handouts obtained through begging. In fact, they pose a danger to society because nobody knows where they come from or what their real identity is, so they can easily do any wrong deed and escape. They consume ‘hashish’, ‘ganja’ and other intoxicants and spread filth all-around.”

These ‘saints’ are also proving to be a health hazard for the pilgrims and locals as a large number of them are found to be afflicted with contagious diseases, such as tuberculosis (TB).

Deputy Commissioner of Kurukshetra, Mandip Brar, had issued an order recently warning that strict action would be taken against those littering or otherwise dirtying the town’s civic areas, but it has failed to have any significant impact so far.

Rajiv Sharma, Office Secretary of the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB), which is responsible for the maintenance of holy tanks here, said that the KDB on its part was taking numerous steps to maintain cleanliness at the holy sites, but people who come here with religious faith do not comply with the instructions on civic cleanliness.

Rajiv disclosed that besides having a contract with Sulabh International, Delhi, the KDB has 45 sweepers on its rolls to ensure cleanliness at the holy tanks. One Junior Engineer supervises their work. However, they feel helpless when charitable organizations or religious persons come here to distribute food to the homeless and ‘babas’ living here. Earlier, they even set up ‘tandoors’ (ovens) in the open to prepare ‘rotis’ just outside the office of KDB. They would leave a dump of garbage behind. It was with great difficulty that this was shifted to the eastern bank of the tank, where vehicles of the pilgrims are parked. He further said that KDB had displayed the instructions at various places but pilgrims hardly follow any of the advice.

Photo- Garbage spread on the banks of holy Sannehit tank and cows roaming freely on bank

Ban on non-veg food in Kurukshetra: The State Imposes Dietary Restrictions

The imposition of ban on the sale of non-vegetarian items in the municipal areas of Thanesar (Kurukshetra) on Friday has started a debate over the advisability of the ban in a town whose municipal limits has been extended five times since the ban was first imposed in the year 1974.

 
The ban on these items were imposed even during the British period also as is visible from a order on a red stone observed at the holy Brahmasarovar, but it is clear that these orders were imposed only at the religious place, while now these are being extended with the extension of municipal limits quite often.

 

The ban imposed by the Deputy Commissioner has left a large number of persons involved in the business of eatables in a lurch and is causing great hardship to the non-vegetarians as well as patients. The ban orders are reported to have been issued following direction of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the Deputy Commissioner on the basis of a PIL by one advocate to take appropriate action on his representation to DC against the sale of non-vegetarian in the town of Kurukshetra , which he claimed have been declared as ‘holy’ city.

 

It may be mentioned here that the Haryana government had declared Kurukshetra as ‘holy city’ and had shifted liquor vends and meat shops outside the extended limits of Thanesar town. However, the Motel being run by the department of Tourism, Haryana Government as well as Military canteen for ex-servicemen situated at Pipli, are allowed to sell liquor though they fall in the jurisdiction of municipal limits of Thanesar.

 

The old timers recall that initially the use of liquor and meat around the vicinity of holy Brahmasarovar and Sannehit tank were banned by the authorities. In fact an order on behalf of the Deputy Commissioner, Karnal (Kurukshetra was part of Karnal district) used to be displayed on the banks of both the holy tanks that the consumption of liquor and meat on the holy ‘tirtha’ was not allowed.

 

It was first on the recommendation of Mr. Gulzari Lal Nanda, the then union Minister and founder Chairman of Kurukshetra Development Board, that the then Chief Minister Bansi Lal announced a holy status for Kurukshetra in 1974 and the liquor vends and meat shops were shifted outside the municipal limits of Thanesar. The municipal limits at that time were just one kms in radius around the holy tanks. After about two years the municipal limits of Thanesar comprising Dara Kalan, Dara Khurd and a part of Dara Khera, were extended by including the remaining part of Dara Khera Thanesar.        

 

The municipal limits were once again extended by adding the panchayat areas of Pipli, Bir Pipli, Devi Dasspura, Ratgal, Sunderpur, Bahri and part of Mirzapur in the year 1984. With this the demand of declaring the whole town holy once again emerged and finally Mr. Bhajan Lal announced that liquor vends will be taken out of the extended limits of Thanesar. Later, in 1991, Chief Minister Bansi Lal once again announced a ban on non-veg inside the municipal limits of Thanesar.

 

Following this announcements the Excise and Taxation department shifted the liquor vends on the periphery of extended municipal limits. However, the department exempted the old panchayat limits of Pipli from this ban and the liquor vend at Pipli continued as usual because the liquor Bar of the Tourism department at Pipli restaurant had to be exempted. Later, the military canteen for the ex-service men was also exempted.

 

It is also interesting to note that there is no village or town by the name of Kurukshetra in the revenue records of Haryana and the present town of Kurukshetra is infact named as a District while Thanesar as Tehsil and Sub-Division, comprising the jurisdiction of various villages, which kept on increasing. In Puranic books, 38 ‘kose’ areas around Thanesar are referred as Kurukshetra. 

 

Though the meat slaughter shops have been shifted out side the limits of extended municipality limits but the meat and other non-veg was easily available in all the restaurants situated in the town. A student at Kurukshetra University , Subhash, described the shifting move as hypocrisy of those who hardly bother for the sanctity of the holy places but raise hue and cry for the ban just to score a point while most of them too enjoy liquor and meat. Mostly, the visitors to Brahmasarovar to attend Kurukshetra Utsav- Geeta Jayanti Samaroh created unhygienic conditions on the holy place by throwing left out eatable and packages in a scattered manner after consuming eatable, he added.

 

Dr. S.P. Singh demanded that only the area around holy tanks and shrines should be declared pious and the people drinking liquor or consuming meat must be stringently punished, rather than making a mockery for the ban in extended area. He said that the piousness of the place could not be linked with the extension of municipal limits as the towns are bound to expand with all sort of people from all walk of life with different eating habits.

 

Manjit Singh, a famous seller of non-veg items demanded that ban should be imposed in specific radius of 250 to 500 meters of holy places of Brahmasarovar and Sanehit tank as in case of Amritsar and Haridwar, where it is only in a radius of 500 meters.