The Supreme Court on Tuesday said there would be zero tolerance of illegal constructions — from statues of public figures to religious structures — on encroached government land. With this, the court gave fresh force to its 2013 ban on installations on public land.
“We have made it clear. Illegal constructions are illegal constructions. There is a large number of statues, temples, gurdwaras, mosques, churches constructed illegally on government land,” Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya observed on Tuesday.
In 2013, the court banned installation of statues and construction of religious structures by grabbing public land.
Addressing the hazard of encroachments on roads, pavements and public land, which hampered the lives of the ordinary citizen, the court ban had empowered the civic agencies and municipal authorities, which were hitherto helpless before political interests and religious sentiments.
