All illegal religious structures built after September 2009 to be demolished

The Maharashtra government will demolish all illegal religious structures across the State built after September 2009 in the next nine months.

The State’s Home Department on Wednesday issued a government resolution (GR) listing out a timeline to deal with the issue of illegal religious structures in the State following Bombay High Court directives to design a plan for the same.

According to the State’s plan, the process of legalising illegal shrines built before September 2009 should be completed within six months. The process of shifting some of these structures should be over within six to nine months and the rest should be demolished within two years.

However, any illegal religious structure built after September 2009 will not be legalised and have to be razed within nine months.

In September 2009, the Supreme Court had directed all States to initiate action against illegal shrines.

Municipal Commissioners will be held responsible for action against the structures within the limits of corporation, while the Collectors must look over the implementation of this GR within the rest of the district.

“The topic was on our agenda for a long time now. But now after this GR, we have to finish our work within a fixed timeline. We will be providing security for the commissioners and Collectors to take actions and I am sure that all illegal structures will be razed soon,” said a senior official from the Home Department.

While hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by NGO Janhit Manch against illegal shrines, the Bombay High Court in October 2015 expressed displeasure over the government’s delay in taking action against these structures.

Responding to the PIL, the government had filed an affidavit in court stating that a GR issued on May 5, 2011 outlined a scheme for taking action against illegal religious structures. The GR also directed all municipal corporations to demolish all illegal shrines built after September 29, 2009. Based on this, the HC observed that there was no impediment in demolishing the illegal shrines built after the date. However, on October 23, 2015 the High Court asked the government to form a timeline of its action against the structures built after September 2009.

According to the figures available with The Hindu, before 2009, around 10,291 illegal structures were built within corporation limits in the State and 37,159 were erected within the Collectors’ jurisdiction.

From September 2009 till May 2015, around 808 such structures were built within corporation limits and 1,065 in rest of the districts.

Bhagwaniji Riyani, one of the petitioners who appeared for the Society for Fast Justice, had said

that a tehsildar in Aurangabad had been physically assaulted by the Shiv Sena while leading a demolition drive in Waluj, including on illegal religious structures.

Rayani also pointed to a temple on Juhu beach, which had been demolished twice, had been reconstructed.