Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Aug 10: Through a press release dated Monday August 9, 2010, the additional deputy commissioner (DC) of Dakshina Kannada district has stated that the union government has issued guidelines to the administration in tune with an interim order of the Supreme Court in special leave appeal (civil) No. 8519/2006, as follows:

The local administrations, zilla panchayat, municipal councils etc., have been directed to ensure that no unauthorized religious centres come up in public places after December 7, 2009, and to vacate them as and when they get information about them.

In case of the structures like temples, churches, mosques, Gurdwaras etc., that have come up unauhorizedly in public places including parks and roads, the idols or religious symbols should be shifted by intimating the leaders, and the structures should be demolished.  The unauhorized structures built on storm drains, protective walls of roads and such other public places also are to be razed to the ground.

The district deputy commissioner and district magistrate have been vested with instructions to review all incidents of unauthorized buildings that have come up in public parks and other public places on or before December 7, 2009,, on a case-to-case basis. If they are confident that the structures do not disturb the peace in the region, they may take steps to legally authorize such structures. If religious centres of more than one community have come up in pubic parks and other public places, and there is apprehension that their existence might give rise to frictions between different religious groups, both the unauthorized buildings should be demolished.

The local bodies, while drawing the lay out plans and residential extensions, have to compulsorily earmark, as per the demands of the situation, sites for temples, mosques, church, Gurdwara etc.

The process of shifting/demolition or giving legal sanctity to the buildings has to be completed by December 31, 2010.

As per the current survey, Dakshina Kannada district has 640 Hindu religious structures, 151 Muslim religious structures, 32 Christian religious structures and ten Jain religious structures as on December 2, 2009. Case-to-case study of every such structure will be taken and steps would be taken accordingly. There is no provision for raising any such unauthorized buildings after December 7, 2009, the additional DC stated in the press release.