- May 15, 2023
Uttarakhand: Over 300 Illegal Mazars Razed in Devbhoomi As Part of Demolition Drive
In the last three months more than 325 mazars have been demolished. (News18)
In what could be termed as a ‘mega clean up’ operation against illegal religious activities particularly in the forest area, the administration has razed more than 330 Mazars in the last 90 days
There seems to be no stopping for the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led Uttarakhand government against illegal Mazars (mausoleums) and similar religious structures.
In what could be termed as a ‘mega clean up’ operation against illegal religious activities particularly in the forest area, the administration has razed more than 330 Mazars in the last 90 days.
Backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the BJP, this demolition drive gained momentum after intelligence input suggested a sudden rise in ‘religious encroachments’ in ‘Devbhoomi’ – as Uttarakhand is referred to owing to numerous pilgrimage places.
“The drive against encroachments will continue in the Devbhoomi. We won’t tolerate land jihad to happen in Uttarakhand,” CM Dhami said.
Earlier in the day, the Corbett tiger reserve administration demolished nine Mazars located inside the deep forest.
Although human activity other than restricted safaris is not permitted inside the tiger reserves. However, in the case of Corbett tiger reserve, there was free access to Mazars located inside the reserved forest area.
“Acting on the government instructions, we have taken stringent steps against illegal encroachments. A week back we served notices to those associated with the Mazars but none responded and as a result demolition drive took place” told Dhiraj Pande director of Corbett tiger reserve to News18.com.
Nonetheless, in the last three months more than 325 mazars have been demolished across the state and in the process around 91 hectares of the forest land have been freed, said the official.
“I am asking divisional forest officers to plant fruit saplings in the land now free from encroachments,” said Parag Madhukar Dhakate, IFS officer to oversee the anti-encroachment drive.
As chief minister Dhami took an aggressive position, the senior leadership of the principal opposition party Congress is ‘mum’. The party has maintained that Mazars erected before 1980 should have been regularised.
The officials though have underlined that not even in a single stance, any claimant had come forward.
