The illegal portions of a mosque in Mumbai have been demolished by its trustees under the supervision of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, reports said.
The exercise began on Monday morning after the BMC was forced to call off its demolition drive on September 21 as locals protested the move.
BMC officials, according to reports, said that it was being done after the issue was discussed with trustees who agreed to carry out the demolition drive by themselves.
“Of the illegal portions, a 30-feet dome will be demolished, following which other illegal portions like makeshift shops and utility units will be removed. The drive is being conducted under strict police supervision,” an official was quoted as saying.
The reports said the local police had registered a case against as many as 5,000 people for protesting against the civic authorities and not letting them to carry out demolition. The police also accused them of disrupting traffic, and arrested three people.
The reports say that the move comes as the deadline for the removal of the illegal portion of the religious structure came to an end today (September 30).
The demolition process was covered by a green curtain, they said, adding that the Illegal dome other structures were being removed.
A BMC team, which went there for inspection, told people related to the mosque trust that any action taken would be in accordance with the law.
It was promised that the illegal construction at the Mehboob-e-Subhaniya Mosque in Dharavi would be demolished but it was not even after the deadline was missed five days ago. Finally, the demolition work was carried out on Monday following the High Court order.
The municipal corporation had issued notices to all such illegal religious structures six months ago, but they were ignored and no action was taken.