The state government Friday told the Gujarat High Court that its Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Board focused on all religions equally.

The government was responding to a public interest litigation that questioned its push towards promoting only Hindu pilgrimage sites.

According to an affidavit filed on Friday on behalf of the state government by Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board secretary Ajay Patel, one Islamic site of religious importance – Hazratshahdullah Shahid Dargah Trust — feature in its list for solar rooftop installations. Two other islamic sites of importance — Hasanpir Saheb Dargah in Patan and Saiyed Narudin Saheb Dargah in Kutch – has been supplied battery-operated e-rickshaws for the convenience of senior citizens and handicapped persons, according to the board.

The affidavit further submitted that Gujarat Tourism Corporation has started work for development of 13 Buddhist religious places as Buddhist circuit.

It was also submitted that the board had also started the development of spiritual park that would house teachings of around 2,300 saints, including that of Sant Kabir, Khwaja Moinuddin, Guru Gobind Singh, Tulsidas etc. The affidavit emphasised that work would start very soon for light and sound show at Sarkhej Roza, Ahmedabad, sanctioned by the state tourism department.

The PIL, moved by Ahmedabad-based rights activist Mujaheed Nafees, in October last year, had alleged that the board is providing its facilities for only Hindu pilgrimage sites.

The petitioner had sought inclusion of shrines of all religions by the board. According to the petition, the state government had passed a resolution in July 1995 to constitute the board and the objective was stated as to provided “lodging and boarding facilities to the pilgrims who visit religious shrines from distant places.”

The petition stated that after 1997, Ambaji, Dakor, Girnar, Palitana, Somnath and Dwarka were declared ‘holy pilgrim sites’ and Rs 24 lakh earmarked. Over the years, the petition said, the number of ‘yatradhams’ had grown to cover 300 such shrines.

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