The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh has been facing mounting pressure and public movement for not taking action against illegal mosques and Mazars mushrooming across the state. Now, in stark contrast, the Pushkar Singh Dhammi government has carried out bulldozer action against illegal Mazar built on the land of the Irrigation Department in the pilgrimage city of Haridwar.
According to the information shared by ANI, the Mazar was illegally built on the land of the Rehabilitation Department in the Mirpur village of the Bahadarabad area. The Haridwar district administration demolished it today in tight security arrangements. The administration also issued a warning that it would take action against all types of illegal construction in the area.
According to reports, the mazar was illegally built on the government land of the irrigation department. It was under the Tehri Dam project in Garhmirpur of the Bahadarabad area of Haridwar. A video has also surfaced on social media which two bulldozers can be seen demolishing the mazar.
#WATCH | Haridwar, Uttarakhand: The illegal ‘Mazar’ built on the land of the Rehabilitation Department in the Mirpur village of Bahadarabad area was demolished today by the Haridwar district administration amid tight security arrangements. pic.twitter.com/aAw0KknsDw
— ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2024
The nodal officer of the district’s encroachment removal campaign Manish Singh said that the Supreme Court has directed that it is mandatory to take permission from the collector for the construction or reconstruction of any new religious place after the year 2016. However, no permission was taken from the district administration to build this mazaar.
Singh added that this action was taken with the aim of removing encroachment on the instructions of District Magistrate Kamendra Singh. Illegal Mazar was constructed on government land with the intention of occupying it. The administration had issued notice earlier but no documents related to land or construction were presented, prompting them to take the bulldozer action.
BJP MLA from Haridwar Rural, Swami Yatishwaranand said that it is the government’s policy to remove illegal constructions and action will be taken in the same manner against any illegal site. Slamming opposition to the demolition drive, Yatishwaranand added that Congressmen are frustrated, that is why they are making remarks against the administration’s action.
