BAGESHWAR: Uttarakhand govt on Tuesday formed an investigative panel to probe the unauthorised construction of a temple by a self-styled godman on govt land near Devi Kund on the Sunderdhunga glacier at an altitude of 16,500 feet. Baba Yogi Chaitanya Akash, who built the mandir, will himself be probed as govt officials said his antecedents seemed to be “suspicious”.
The action came a day after a TOI report highlighted the potential environmental impact of the illegal construction in the ecologically sensitive zone.
The probe committee, consisting of officials from the Bageshwar district administration, forest department, and police, will also look into the construction’s environmental impact on the pristine region. The team has been instructed to reach the remote site within three days and submit its findings within a week. N D Pandey, ranger, Glacier Range, said, “Panel members are expected to take two days to reach Devi Kund due to the treacherous terrain of the high Himalayan region.”
Regarding Yogi Chaitanya, who had earlier claimed that he built the temple after receiving “divine instructions”, the forest department said “there are no records of his entry at any checkpoints, raising questions about his presence and activities in the eco-sensitive area”.
Bageshwar district magistrate Anuradha Pal said, “The matter was referred to the police for an investigation after an application was received from the locals in this regard. The road to the spot where the temple has been built passes through difficult terrain and remains closed during the monsoon.”
Bageshwar SP Akshay Prahlad Konde added, “The structure is made of wood and stone and is a small temple. It is illegal and built on no man’s land. It seems that some locals helped him build the structure after he told them that he had received divine orders in his dream to construct it. He has been living in the temple for the last 10-12 days and bathing in the sacred Devi Kund. Locals revere the lake and bathe their deities in it once a year.”
(With agency inputs)