Illegal Religious Structures: State Land Delhi: Battleground for Religious Structures | Delhi News

New Delhi: Illegal religious structures are multiplying in the capital due to the reluctance of landowners to even acknowledge their existence, let alone move or demolish them. Political patronage and religious sentiments become good enough reasons for these agencies to look the other way. Residents are afraid to openly speak out against lawbreakers, and those who muster the courage to do so encounter an impregnable wall.
While the Delhi Home Ministry has a provision for setting up a religious committee to make its “recommendations” on proposals for demolition of illegal structures, officials said the responsibility of identifying such encroachments and sending a committee to seek approval for their demolition rests with the agency. who owns the land.
The agency that owns the land usually only proposes demolishing an illegal religious structure if it interferes with an infrastructure project. If a vigilant citizen tries to bring such encroachments to the attention of landowners or civil authorities, he is first stopped and then asked to approach the religious committee.
On September 29, 2009, the Supreme Court ruled that unauthorized construction in the name of a temple, church, mosque or gurdwara in public places will not be allowed and such encroachments will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis in the respective state and union territory. interested government. The Delhi High Court also, in its order dated March 14, 2022, noted that the government is required to remove all unauthorized structures from the area. public land.
These orders did not prompt the authorities to act. Instead of proactively reclaiming the land they own, agencies are thwarting attempts by concerned citizens to push them into action. How such illegal structures can thrive without any action from local officials only raises even more questions.
A senior Delhi government official said the religious committee is only a “recommending body” that reviews proposals submitted to it by agencies. “Proposals must come from agencies that own the land. After approval by the religious committee, the case is transferred to the MG through the minister and the CM. And once all the approvals are received, the agency that owns the land can demolish the structure, which is provided with police security,” said the official, who did not want to be named.
The committee, headed by the Principal Secretary, Home Department, Government of Delhi, includes heads of NDMC, MCD, DDA, PWD, Irrigation and Flood Control Department and Divisional Commissioner, as well as the Special Cell of Delhi Police. It also includes key officials from certain departments of the central government.
The committee meets as needed and discusses proposals from landowners, officials said. Although measures have been taken in some cases, many illegal religious structures continue to exist and obstruct traffic and people’s rights of way.
Recently, the PWD, which maintains all major roads in the city and is part of the special task force that carries out anti-encroachment drives, failed to submit an action report to the Home Ministry on the status of 21 illegal religious structures identified in the last two years and recommended for demolition by a religious committee. The report was submitted only after the home department reminded the disabled through a message dated October 14.
According to the report, the disabled person approached the district magistrates with a request to demolish eight structures. The status of the remaining 13 structures, located in nine locations, is unknown. “The PWD will conduct exercises in accordance with the instructions of the Department of Internal Affairs and will conduct a new survey of the areas,” said a PWD spokesman.
While landowners and law enforcement agencies drag their feet, trespassers often dare and brazenly trespass into an even larger area and make it a fait accompli, using the tactic of gradually building concrete structures, installing benches, celebrating holidays with great fanfare and adding to the shrine. the words “prachin” (ancient).
More land will be lost to encroachers if citizens are not encouraged to be vigilant and assured that their complaints will be addressed in a timely manner. At the moment, this intention seems rather weak, if not non-existent.