District Magistrate Pensia announced a three-month campaign to address the issue of illegal constructions
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – The volatile Uttar Pradesh city of Sambhal, which saw several deaths in alleged police firing during the court-mandated survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid last month, is in for renewed tension as District Magistrate Rajendra Pensia ordered the removal of encroachments near the mosque.
After visiting the violence-hit area near the mosque, District Magistrate Pensia announced a three-month campaign to address the illegal constructions stating that official records show significant encroachments in the area surrounding the mosque, reports reaching here said on Saturday.
Locals believe the purported drive to clear the area of “encroachments” is nothing but another ploy by the authorities to target the Muslim community. Scores of Muslims, including aged persons and women, have already been arrested arbitrarily in connection with the violence, locals alleged.
District Magistrate Pensia said to curb power theft, the administration is installing 20 kilometres of armoured wiring in vulnerable areas. This initiative is expected to save Rs 13-15 crore across various tehsils. “The armoured wires will prevent overloading and transformer failures, ensuring people pay only for what they use,” explained.
The Sambhal administration has been cracking down on various alleged illegal activities in the area. In addition to these measures, authorities conducted raids at 13 locations on December 9, seizing firearms and narcotics. On December 12, bulldozer action was undertaken to remove encroachments linked to electricity theft.
The Shahi Jama Masjid area has been the site of violent clashes over an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) examination of the mosque.
Earlier this month, in clear violation of the Supreme Court directive restraining bulldozer action across the country, authorities demolished 12 alleged illegal shops in the city.
On November 13, the Supreme Court laid down guidelines to curb the demolition of people’s homes and private properties by the government “only on the ground that they are accused of a crime”.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan held that such actions violated the rights of the accused, including the presumption of innocence, unfairly punished the other tenants who have not been accused of anything, and violated the right to shelter under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
The apex court’s guidelines include a mandatory 15-day notice period for the tenants to either challenge the demolition order or see to their affairs before being evicted.