Srinagar, August 22: As many as 174 places of worship were damaged during militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, the state Assembly was informed today.
Of them, 90 temples have been given ex-gratia relief and stands renovated, Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla said in response to a question posed by Chaman Lal Gupta of BJP.
He said that the state administration is doing its best to ensure protection of Hindu temples and other religious shrines in the valley.
“Whenever encroachment on Hindu temples or properties is brought to the notice of administration, immediate action is initiated against the culprits”, he added.
About the rehabilitation of migrant families, the minister informed the house that 37,403 such families, including 33,449 Hindus and 1702 Sikhs, were registered in Jammu as on January this year and the administration spends Rs 72.40 crore annually for providing cash assistance and free ration to them.
A project for construction of 5242 flats for the migrants has been sanctioned under Prime Minister’s reconstruction programme with a cost of Rs 345 crores.
1024 flats have been completed at Purkhoo, Muthi and Nagrota in Jammu with an estimated cost of Rs 51 crores for, the minister said.
Bhalla also said that 200 flats with an estimated cost of Rs 23 crores are under construction in Budgam to provide accommodation to the Kashmiri migrants.
—Agencies