The Deccan Chronicle 21.09.2010
106 places of worship to be demolishedSept. 20: The Belgaum City Corporation (BCC) plans to demolish at least 106 temples, mosques and other religious structures that have been allegedly built illegally in the city, after serving their management committees with notices as required under the law. The demolition will be done by December 31, according to BCC assistant executive engineer Ramesh.
“We will serve notices to the managements of these structures shortly and complete the demolition process as soon as possible. There is no scope for the managements to move the courts against the move,” Mr Ramesh adds, explaining that the corporation may allow the temples and mosques to be rebuilt on other government sites after removing them from their present locations.
Most of the illegal religious structures are spread over about 2 km in and around Khadebazaar, in the heart of city . While 49 of them are located on roads, around 50 are found in open spaces that belong to the government. Among the alleged illegal structures are the famous Ashwatham temple in Pangul Galli, the Basavan Mandir in Basavan Galli, Maruti Mandir in Samadevi Galli and Datt Mandir in Gondhali Galli. The presence of these structures has for several years hampered development work like road-widening and also caused traffic problems as people have objected to the BCC removing them. But now the corporation is empowered by an order of the Supreme Court to take action, according to its officers.
The BCC is expected to submit within a week the list of structures to be demolished to the committee headed by deputy commissioner Ekroop Caur, which has been formed to oversee the demolition and gets its approval for the job. It also plans to hold meetings with the people and explain to them that it is acting on the orders of the Supreme Court, the officers add.
