DDA allots land for rebuilding Guru Ravidas Temple
New Delhi: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Friday approved the allotment of 400 square metres in the Jahanpanah City forest here for rebuilding the Guru Ravidas Temple that the authority had last year demolished in compliance with a Supreme Court order.
The demolition in August last year had led to widespread protests in Delhi and Punjab by members and leaders of the Dalit community, including the Bhim Army, whose chief Chandrashekhar Azad was also arrested during the protests. Multiple clashes between protesters and law enforcement officials were also reported at the time.
At a meeting chaired by L-G Anil Baijal, Vice Chairman Anurag Jain and other senior officials, the authority among other things, approved land allotment for the temple. The original temple site was said to have been visited by Sant Ravidas in the 16th Century and held religious and spiritual significance for the Dalit community.
As an exception for this case, DDA dispensed with auction as the only mode of land allotment. The authority also recommended that the type of land use at the site be changed from Recreational to Public and Semi-Public to one for religious purposes.
A public notice will now be issued inviting objections/suggestions from the public
for this purpose. This space has also been cleared for further procedures like approval of the forest department for de-reservation, devotee committee forming society amongst others.
In another major decision, the minimum reserve price of DDA land meant to be auctioned to education and healthcare sectors was also reduced by 25 per cent. Accordingly, the reserve price in eight circles (A to H) of Delhi would change for DDA plots in these categories. To enable the development of privately owned lands, conversion charges were recommended at 30 per cent of the circle rate for residential use. There will be no separate betterment charges.
In the meeting, the DDA also decided to give relief to stockists and wholesale dealers of medicine and drugs, by considering them under the mixed-use regulations.
It also recommended that 19,800 square metres of land in Shastri Park, East Delhi be changed from Recreational to Public/Semi-Public for developing a community sports complex.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Somnath Barti, who was also at the meeting, hailed the decision and said it was a result of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's commitment to getting the temple rebuilt.
