CUTTACK: After a lull of
two days, the district administration on Monday resumed its drive
against unauthorized illegal religious structures in the city. Three
bulldozers pulled down the Trishakti temple spread over two acre at
Markat Nagar. More than 10 platoons of police force were deployed in the
area to avert any untoward incident.

“We managed to demolish
only one temple, which was spread over a huge area. The drive went on
smoothly,” said ADM (Cuttack) Bibhu Prasad Sarangi.

The
administration is now waiting for the Orissa High Court verdict on the
petitions opposing the drive, which will come up for hearing on Tuesday.
“Our future course of action will depend on the court’s order,” said
Sarangi.

A high-level meeting was also convened in Bhubaneswar
to discuss the issue. A delegation of Cuttack Mahanagar Peace Committee
had met law minister Maheswar Mohanty on Friday and urged him to
intervene in the matter. The MLAs representing Cuttack had also met
chief minister Naveen Patnaik, requesting him to stop the demolition drive.

Sources said the drive is being carried out in accordance with January
6, 2011, order of the HC, in which it had ordered for demolition of all
religious structures that have come up on government land after 1987.
The drive began on May 1 and only five religious structures have been
razed so far.