Srinagar: A Sikh organisation in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to order an audit of Gurdwara Prabhandak Committees in the union territory and then conduct their elections.
“The All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) has impressed upon the LG administration to conduct the audit of accounts of GPCs of the different districts of J&K before going ahead with the election process,” its chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina said in a statement here.
Raina said the present Gurdwara Endowment Act of Jammu and Kashmir was “obsolete” and needed to be replaced.
“The present Act has lost its relevance with the passage of time and it needs to be replaced. The Delhi model would be quite appropriate and if it is implemented in J&K, then the present loopholes would be overcome. The present dispensation should look into this aspect,” he said.
The APSCC chairman said if the government wants to engage nominated bodies instead of extending the time of elected members of GPCs, it is imperative to audit the district gurdwara committees before relieving them.
“The entire community is concerned about the recent developments after the government decided to hand over the management of Sikh shrines, historical gurdwara, and properties attached to nominated members till gurdwara elections.
“The community members under the ambit of various Sikh organizations in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions demand elections under Gurdwara Endowment Act by continuing and extending the three months period of elected district gurdwara committees,” he said.
