921 illegal religious edifices on MCD lands alone: RTI
19 Oct 2012 8:06 AM IST
A month after union urban development minister Kamal Nath announced that all illegal religious structures in the national capital would be regularised, an RTI filed with Municipal Corporation of Delhi [MCD] has revealed that 921 illegal religious structures exist in the city.
The RTI states that these illegal religious structures are only on MCD lands, excluding Delhi Development Authority and other lands.
Out of the list, 476 are temples, 48 gurudwaras, nine mosques, 25 shrines and 363 religious structures which are not classified into temples or mosques.
Illegal religious structures are mushrooming across city, eating into sidewalks, schools, roads, playgrounds, despite numerous court orders to check their spread.
On condition of anonymity, a senior MCD official said, ‘Once built, they’re tough to remove in a country with strong religious passions and a history of communal riots. Governments find it difficult to touch anything to do with religion’.
The RTI reveals that these 921 illegal religious structures are not included structures on footpaths and streets, as they are built properly over the years on lands of either MCD school’s or playgrounds.
The exact number of illegal religious structures in the city is unknown, but an estimated 60,000 exist including on all civic agencies lands, up from 560 in 1980.
‘Built on public land without permission, without thinking about building permits or much thought to traffic safety or crowd control, illegal religious structures range from makeshift to the decidedly elaborate and most start small. An illegal shrine may begin its life as a few ornaments and a candle in a tree, a bench is added and then concrete floors, a roof, etc,’ added the MCD official.
The RTI activist who demanded the information, Intezar Naeem told Millennium Post, ‘Whether it’s a mosque or temple, illegal religious structures should not be encouraged. Agencies should keep a tab on encroachments on public lands, even if it is done in the name of religion.’
Among the places in Delhi, old Delhi have the maximum number of illegal religious structures, with Asaf Ali Road and Darya Ganj topping the list.
Earlier, union development minister said, ‘There are several religious structures in the city, which have been constructed illegally, but are visited by thousands every day. There is no way other than regularising them’. The minister, however, said the relaxation will come with some riders and the regularisation will be done only after assessing the ground situation.
The RTI states that these illegal religious structures are only on MCD lands, excluding Delhi Development Authority and other lands.
Out of the list, 476 are temples, 48 gurudwaras, nine mosques, 25 shrines and 363 religious structures which are not classified into temples or mosques.
Illegal religious structures are mushrooming across city, eating into sidewalks, schools, roads, playgrounds, despite numerous court orders to check their spread.
On condition of anonymity, a senior MCD official said, ‘Once built, they’re tough to remove in a country with strong religious passions and a history of communal riots. Governments find it difficult to touch anything to do with religion’.
The RTI reveals that these 921 illegal religious structures are not included structures on footpaths and streets, as they are built properly over the years on lands of either MCD school’s or playgrounds.
The exact number of illegal religious structures in the city is unknown, but an estimated 60,000 exist including on all civic agencies lands, up from 560 in 1980.
‘Built on public land without permission, without thinking about building permits or much thought to traffic safety or crowd control, illegal religious structures range from makeshift to the decidedly elaborate and most start small. An illegal shrine may begin its life as a few ornaments and a candle in a tree, a bench is added and then concrete floors, a roof, etc,’ added the MCD official.
The RTI activist who demanded the information, Intezar Naeem told Millennium Post, ‘Whether it’s a mosque or temple, illegal religious structures should not be encouraged. Agencies should keep a tab on encroachments on public lands, even if it is done in the name of religion.’
Among the places in Delhi, old Delhi have the maximum number of illegal religious structures, with Asaf Ali Road and Darya Ganj topping the list.
Earlier, union development minister said, ‘There are several religious structures in the city, which have been constructed illegally, but are visited by thousands every day. There is no way other than regularising them’. The minister, however, said the relaxation will come with some riders and the regularisation will be done only after assessing the ground situation.
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