Following an order from the Bombay High Court, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been demolishing illegal temples, which obstruct commuter movement in the city
Following an order from the Bombay High Court, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been demolishing illegal temples, which obstruct commuter movement in the city. There has been a lot of tension in Malad West since the civic body issued a notice for demolishing a Hanuman Temple in the area. Earlier this week, when BMC staff reached the spot to raze the structure, people associated with Sonya Maruti Sewa Samiti Trust, which manages the temple, and BJP MP Gopal Shetty opposed the move, claiming that it has been there since 1948.
BMC workers fix some portions of the temple, which they had removed, after Sonya Maruti Sewa Samiti Trust members opposed its demolition on Thursday. Pic/Nimesh Dave
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On Thursday, members of the Trust produced documents in support of the fact that the temple was not built after 1960, a cut-off date that was set by the state government for demolition of such structures, to the P-north ward office. After this the civic body referred the matter to a state-level committee to take a call on its demolition.
Speaking to mid-day, Sanjog Kabre, assistant municipal commissioner, P-north ward, said, "The documents supporting the fact that the temple existed since 1948 have been sent to a state-level committee. After the committee takes a decision on it, we will decide on the next course of action."
Gopal Shetty, BJP MP, said, "Let the state committee decide on the temple. In the meantime, I have asked the ward officials to demolish a room meant for priests adjoining the structure. Once it is razed, one side of the road will get cleared. It's important to have smooth traffic movement and I am in support of decongesting the road. However, it's also important to consider people's sentiments."
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