New Delhi: The latest spat between Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.Ok. Saxena and the Aam Aadmi Social gathering (AAP) authorities over the demolition of non secular constructions on unauthorised land has snowballed, with religion, politics, and crimson tape within the combine.
Sisodia held a press conference last Monday the place he mentioned, “The L-G has alleged that I’m sitting on the recordsdata. I acquired 19 recordsdata to demolish 67 temples, six mazars (shrines), and one gurdwara. I assessed each non secular construction. These points are associated to non secular sentiments.”
He mentioned the police report in each case reveals that devotees will protest in opposition to demolition and that it might trigger a breach of regulation and order. Therefore, he mentioned, he suggested the L-G to alter the construction of the tasks.
A day later, L-G Saxena alleged that Sisodia was pretending to guard the constructions from demolition.
In accordance with Raj Niwas sources that ThePrint spoke to Wednesday, recordsdata associated to the demolition of unauthorised non secular constructions have been pending with Sisodia, additionally the Delhi Residence minister, because of which highways, flyovers, and authorities residential tasks have been stalled.
Additionally they mentioned that the Delhi authorities itself had authorised the recordsdata. “The non secular committee beneath the Residence division of the Delhi authorities advisable the demolition of 23 unauthorised non secular constructions en route the Delhi-Saharanpur Expressway. On 9 December 2022, Sisodia authorised the demolition of 9 constructions and on 1 February 2023, Kejriwal additionally authorised it,” an official of Raj Niwas informed ThePrint.
“It’s incorrect to create a story by holding a press convention after the approval of the recordsdata. After approval from the Kejriwal authorities, the recordsdata have been okayed by the L-G on 8 February, during which he expressed anger over the delay,” he mentioned.
The L-G had requested for recordsdata associated to non secular constructions from Sisodia’s division beneath Rule 19 (5) of the Transaction of Enterprise Guidelines. In accordance with the rule, “The Lieutenant Governor might name for papers referring to any proposal or matter in any Division and such requisition shall be complied with by the Secretary to the Division involved, he shall concurrently inform the Minister-in-charge of the division of the motion taken by him.”
“The federal government was not deciding on these recordsdata. All these have been tasks of nationwide significance on which work was not progressing, so the L-G requested for the recordsdata,” mentioned the official cited above.
Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Sunday after he was questioned for about 9 hours in reference to the alleged liquor coverage rip-off. In the meantime, ThePrint visited seven of the 74 non secular constructions being sought to be demolished and located that the majority of them are constructed on authorities land. Whereas most are positioned proper in the course of the highway, they’re all known as pracheen (historical). Native individuals in every single place weren’t in favour of the demolition of those constructions.
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Temples & mazar
On 29 September 2009, the Supreme Court docket directed that no unauthorised construction within the title of a temple, church, mosque, or gurdwara might be authorised and all such encroachments have to be reviewed by the state and Union territory governments.
As L-G Saxena additionally famous within the 8 February file, which landed in his workplace after CM Kejriwal’s approval, on 14 March 2022, the Delhi Excessive Court docket additionally mentioned that the federal government is duty-bound to take away unauthorized constructions constructed on public land.
However crimson tape has remained a stumbling block. Recordsdata associated to infra tasks have been pending for years. Regardless of the SC order, not a lot was finished to take away non secular constructions on unauthorised land.
It’s not like non secular constructions have by no means been eliminated to make means for growth. On Saturday, part of the Pracheen Shiva temple and mosque at ITO have been demolished by the PWD following the Delhi Excessive Court docket order. In October final yr, the PWD issued a discover to the administration of the temple and the mosque, a waqf board property, asking them to take away the encroachment, following which the matter went to the Delhi Excessive Court docket.
Final week, the locals additionally took out a protest march from ITO to Delhi Gate.
Suresh Beri, who’s related to the temple administration, informed ThePrint that the officers mentioned the footpath must be widened for the approaching G20 Summit, so the construction on about 3.5 metres of land has been eliminated. “We even mentioned within the court docket that we didn’t encroach however no person listened to us.”
Earlier, a temple was demolished following a excessive court docket order in Vishwas Nagar, Shahdara, East Delhi in 2018.
Nonetheless, the individuals operating these non secular constructions level out that they’re locations of religion and have been round for many years.
The Pracheen Siddha Shri Hanuman temple positioned in the course of Chintamani Chowk in Dilshad Backyard is claimed to be greater than 40 years outdated. Temple priest Satish Sharma informed ThePrint that conferences have been held with Public Works Division (PWD) officers 3-4 instances in a couple of yr.
“We’re not in opposition to growth, however our livelihood can also be linked to this. All we wish is that we ought to be given alternate land for the temple someplace close by. However the administration has given solely verbal assurance,” Sharma mentioned.
The Chintamani Chowk is a industrial space, and there’s no residential colony inside 200 metres of it. Abhishek Bhardwaj, who has been operating a motor elements store shut by for the final twenty years, mentioned the temple is constructed on G.T. Highway. “Any unauthorised construction ought to be faraway from there,” he mentioned.
Sisodia had talked about the police report in his press convention, in response to which if these non secular constructions are eliminated, regulation and order will probably be badly affected.
The temple at Chintamani Chowk comes beneath the Seemapuri police station. A senior police official informed ThePrint that a couple of yr in the past, the police headquarters was requested for details about the temple. “We haven’t acquired the elimination order but. We’re a regulation enforcement company, when the order comes, we’ll work to take care of regulation and order,” he mentioned.
The demolition matter can also be caught because of points associated to land. The matter of a mazar in Hasanpur, Delhi, has been in court docket for over 30 years. Its supervisor, Sufi Mohammad Islam Khan, mentioned that somebody from Hasanpur village had given this land to his forefathers. He claimed that even within the Delhi Authorities Gazette of 1986, it has been described because the land of mazar.
Advocate Mohammad Yameen, who handled the case of Hasanpur mazar in Patiala Home Court docket, mentioned there may be speak of demolishing the non secular construction as it’s on unauthorised land, however the mazar has income information. “The remainder of the non secular constructions shouldn’t have income information, however our land just isn’t encroached upon. Phir bhi sarkar ki marzi hai, wo kuchh bhi kar sakti hai (Nonetheless, the federal government can do no matter it desires).”
On 24 January 2023, in a gathering headed by Geetika Sharma, the district Justice of the Peace of Northeast Delhi, PWD govt engineer V.Ok. Singh was instructed that three non secular constructions in Northeast Delhi are in the course of the highway. These are Shri Hanuman Temple, Bhajanpura, mazar at Bhajanpura, and Shri Hanuman Temple close to Loni Golchakkar. It was additionally mentioned that encroachment ought to be eliminated as per the order of the Supreme Court docket. ThePrint has seen a duplicate of the minutes of the assembly.
The Hanuman temple reverse the MIG flats in Loni, at a strolling distance from the one close to Golchakkar, can also be proper in the course of the highway the place the PWD is planning to construct an underpass. O.P. Verma, president of the MIG Flats Welfare Affiliation, mentioned, “This temple could be very outdated and folks place confidence in it. Whether it is demolished, all the society will hit the highway and protest. We is not going to enable it to be demolished.”
In South Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Srinivaspuri, Kasturba Nagar, and Tyagraj Nagar, 49 temples and one mazar have been marked for demolition.
When ThePrint visited Sarojini Nagar Wednesday, it discovered that these temples need to be demolished due to the central authorities’s Normal Pool Residential Lodging challenge to redevelop seven such colonies by 2025. There are additionally about 10 small temples contained in the Sarojini Nagar market that are constructed on authorities land.
Politics picks up
The problem of the demolition of non secular constructions has been a sizzling subject for the previous week and lots of politics can also be happening over it.
“The politics taking place on this concern is unlucky. It was finished for apparent vested pursuits and urge Kejriwal to advise his Cupboard colleagues to keep away from politicising points within the title of faith,” the L-G famous whereas approving the file on 8 February, a Raj Bhawan official informed ThePrint.
A mazar simply outdoors Himachal Bhawan, Mandi Home, which can also be on the checklist of unauthorised constructions, is claimed to be 250 years outdated, mentioned its caretaker Akbar Ali Sabri. In September 2022, New Delhi Municipal Company (NDMC) demolished part of it, performing on the Supreme Court docket orders.
Sabri mentioned, “Our livelihood is related with this. Individuals of all religions come right here, and everybody’s religion is related. Shah Rukh Khan additionally used to go to this mazar when his present, Fauji, was shot within the Mandi Home space.”
AAP MLA from Matia Mahal, Shoaib Iqbal informed ThePrint that the tomb is a whole lot of years outdated. “What L-G saheb is saying is nonsense, nothing will occur by his saying. Ye andhergardi hai,” he mentioned.
“Neither temple, nor church, nor mosque, nor gurdwara will probably be demolished in Delhi. Such a scenario is not going to be allowed to come up,” Iqbal mentioned.
Nonetheless, the Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP) mentioned that such issues can’t be selected a political degree.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar informed ThePrint that Manish Sisodia is embroiled in a number of controversies today, together with the liquor rip-off. “To keep away from these controversies, he has provide you with this shagufa,” he mentioned.
“Manish Sisodia himself is a member of the non secular committee. He has advisable the demolition of the constructions. And now that the CBI is after him, the timing of his press convention reveals that he’s making political use of non secular sentiments, which isn’t proper,” he mentioned.
Nonetheless, he mentioned, one ought to consider different methods earlier than taking such choices so that folks’s non secular sentiments aren’t harm.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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