The Times of India 09.04.2013
Civic body, cops to join hands to determine legal religious structures in Nagpur
NAGPUR: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and city police are set to conduct a joint survey of religious structures across the city. After the survey, NMC will categorize the structures as legal or illegal.
Confirming the development, municipal commissioner Shyam Wardhane told TOI that as per NMC records currently there are 1,323 religious structures, including temples and mosques, in the city. "This list included all the ancient as well as the illegal religious structures that were built along roadsides," he said. The new survey aims at differentiating between the legal and the illegal religious structures, he added.
On Monday, the civic chief Wardhane convened a meeting of NMC officials and police inspectors from 23 police stations.
Now, the team will not only verify whether the religious monuments have large mass following but will also look into aspects like sanction from NMC or NIT's town planning authorities, no objection certificates from land owners (if constructed on any open plot).
"Zonal officers or assistant municipal commissioners and city police have been asked to coordinate with all the other departments to conduct the survey. They have been asked to file a report within a week. This will give us clear picture on the total number of such structures," he added. The report will help the civic body to decide if the illegal structures could be demolished.
Lakadganj has the highest number of such constructions followed by Dhantoli and Nehru Nagar. Statistics available with TOI show that despite Lakadganj zone having highest number of religious and non-religious structures, none of them were removed ignoring the fact that these structures posed hurdles in city's development plans and also blocked traffic besides creating law and order situation.
In September 2009, a high court division bench, comprising justices AP Lavande and Pramod Kode, had directed the Nagpur commissioner of police and municipal commissioner to fix responsibility on concerned officers responsible for the areas where illegal structures were posing hurdles for the traffic.
The CP had been asked to assign this task to deputy commissioners of police in respective areas. Similarly, the NMC commissioner was told to delegate this work to ward officers. But ironically, both agencies had turned a blind eye. It can be gauged with the fact that just a year ago an illegal religious structure came up near state ASI office in Civil Lines.
The holy and unholy
Zones Religious structures
Laxmi Nagar 115
Dharampeth 53
Hanuman Nagar 134
Dhantoli 240
Nehru Nagar 140
Gandhibagh 68
Satranjipura 114
Lakadganj 242
Asi Nagar 98
Mangalwari 119
Confirming the development, municipal commissioner Shyam Wardhane told TOI that as per NMC records currently there are 1,323 religious structures, including temples and mosques, in the city. "This list included all the ancient as well as the illegal religious structures that were built along roadsides," he said. The new survey aims at differentiating between the legal and the illegal religious structures, he added.
On Monday, the civic chief Wardhane convened a meeting of NMC officials and police inspectors from 23 police stations.
Now, the team will not only verify whether the religious monuments have large mass following but will also look into aspects like sanction from NMC or NIT's town planning authorities, no objection certificates from land owners (if constructed on any open plot).
"Zonal officers or assistant municipal commissioners and city police have been asked to coordinate with all the other departments to conduct the survey. They have been asked to file a report within a week. This will give us clear picture on the total number of such structures," he added. The report will help the civic body to decide if the illegal structures could be demolished.
Lakadganj has the highest number of such constructions followed by Dhantoli and Nehru Nagar. Statistics available with TOI show that despite Lakadganj zone having highest number of religious and non-religious structures, none of them were removed ignoring the fact that these structures posed hurdles in city's development plans and also blocked traffic besides creating law and order situation.
In September 2009, a high court division bench, comprising justices AP Lavande and Pramod Kode, had directed the Nagpur commissioner of police and municipal commissioner to fix responsibility on concerned officers responsible for the areas where illegal structures were posing hurdles for the traffic.
The CP had been asked to assign this task to deputy commissioners of police in respective areas. Similarly, the NMC commissioner was told to delegate this work to ward officers. But ironically, both agencies had turned a blind eye. It can be gauged with the fact that just a year ago an illegal religious structure came up near state ASI office in Civil Lines.
The holy and unholy
Zones Religious structures
Laxmi Nagar 115
Dharampeth 53
Hanuman Nagar 134
Dhantoli 240
Nehru Nagar 140
Gandhibagh 68
Satranjipura 114
Lakadganj 242
Asi Nagar 98
Mangalwari 119
