Stop demolition of religious places: BJP

By Express News Service - BHUBANESWAR

07th May 2013 02:39 PM

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  BJP leader Manmohan Samal addressing a media conference at the party office in Bhubaneswar on Monday. I Express Photo

The State unit of the BJP on Monday demanded that the demolition of religious institutions started by the district administration should be stopped immediately as it would give rise to social unrest.

The State Government is going against the secular policies and not abiding by the Supreme Court judgment by demolishing religious institutions, former State BJP president Manmohan Samal, former minister Samir Dey and BJP leader Sajjan Sharma told mediapersons here.

The State Government had filed an affidavit regarding its policy on religious institutions with the Supreme Court, which had fixed 2009 as the cut-off date for demolition of religious institutions built on encroached government land. But why this was not intimated by the State Government to the High Court where a case is going on, they asked.

They said because of confusion in the Government ranks while the Supreme Court fixed 2009 as the cut-off date, the High Court fixed cut-off date at 1987.

As per the list prepared by the State Government, 15,708 religious institutions, including 235 in Cuttack, will be demolished, they said.

 The BJP leaders alleged that a committee comprising the District Collector, the SP and the executive officer of the urban local body should be constituted to find out which religious institutions are causing problem for the public and are fit for demolition. Besides, a list should also be prepared identifying those religious institutions which are not causing any problem for public and the land on which these have been constructed are not earmarked for any public purpose, they said and added that such encroachment can be regularised by the State Government. They, however, maintained that those institutions causing problem and hampering public purposes should be demolished.

 However, this policy of the State Government has not been adhered to and no such survey has been done for Cuttack, they said and demanded that the State Government should immediately file a review petition in the High Court in this regard.