The Bombay high court on Friday told the state to direct local authorities (corporations) to demolish all illegal religious structures that have come up in the state, post 2009.

A division bench of justices Abhay Oka and A K Menon said: "In various cities, large number of illegal structures are there and the government scheme of 2011 is hardly implemented. Additional chief secretary (home) should personally look into the implementation of the government resolution."

The court gave the direction while hearing a public interest litigation filed by an NGO, Society for fast Justice, against illegal shrines in the city.

Pursuant to a Supreme Court order, a Government Resolution (GR) of May 5, 2011, had prescribed a "well-defined" scheme for appropriate action against unauthorised religious structures in terms of regularisation, relocation and removal.

The GR suggested the setting up of a three-tier committee –state-wise, district level and in corporations, including Mumbai, Thane and Pune.

It also called for the demolition of illegal and unauthorised shrines erected after September 29, 2009. These structures had been classified into categories, including old religious shrines, those posing as a roadblock for both traffic and law and order.

Recently the court was informed that as on February 1, 2015, there were 6,336 unauthorised structures, of which 207 had been regularised, 179 demolished and three relocated.

Around 138 structures, which came up after September 29, 2009, had been demolished.

The court has now directed the government to file a compliance report by April 21 and posted the next hearing to April 23.