In a major crackdown on illegal constructions, the Gulbarga City Corporation on Saturday razed at least 34 places of worship that were found to have encroached on public property.
Early in the morning, a squad began the demolition of 27 temples and seven dargahs simultaneously at different locations in the city, under police protection. The action of the corporation authorities took everybody by surprise, with only a few protests from the people at some demolition sites.
According to Commissioner of the Gulbarga City Corporation Manoj Jain, the authorities had identified 45 unauthorised places of worship that had come up on roads. Some of them were on the middle of the road, obstructing traffic.
“These illegal structures were major impediments in the efforts of the city corporation to widen the roads,” Mr. Jain told The Hindu .
Deputy Superintendent of Police C.K. Baba who supervised the operation said no untoward incident had been reported during the demolition drive.
The trustees of eight places of worship had earlier obtained a stay against the corporation's action.
Held up
The residents of Gazipur held up the demolition of a temple in the area, demanding to see the directions issued by court in this regard.
For over four hours, people sat inside the temple complex and prevented the earthmovers from coming near the structure. They alleged that the authorities had not issued a notice to them about the structure being removed.
Shivasharanappa, a retired government employee, said the temple had been at the spot for nearly seven decades and there was no reason to remove it now.
Corporation officials showed them copies of the court order on the removal of the illegal structures on public roads and persuaded them to vacate the premises.
Mr. Jain said the demolition of illegal structures inside parks would be taken up soon.
