Plea to HC for removal of 'religious' structure

KOT KAPURA: While the encroachment of prime public properties under the garb of religious places is under scanner in this area, a resident of Kot Kapura town has approached Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking the removal of a ''religious'' structure standing in the middle of a main road here.
The petitioner, Rattan Lal, a social activist has alleged that some persons in connivance with Punjab Wakf Board authorities were trying to shield the structure, terming it a religious place, though the structure was being used by a fruit seller as a godown.
The petitioner alleged that he had made exhaustive representation to many senior functionaries in the government, up to the chief minister, but no action was taken to get the land vacated as the structure was a main hurdle in the completion of a strategic road in the town. He said that the construction of the road was pending since the year 2000 for the building standing in the middle of the incomplete road.
The petitioner alleged that though the sub divisonal engineer and many other authorities of in PWD wrote many time to the district authorities for the removal of the structure but for some unscrupulous persons wanting to keep the land in their possession, so it was being given shape of a religious structure and the authorities were not forthcoming in demolishing it.
The revenue record is crystal clear about the status of the land, under the structure that it belongs to Punjab government. But, it is alleged that under a tactical understanding between the possessor of the structure and Punjab Wakf Board, the former was making regular payment of the rent to the latter to create evidence that the property belong to Wakf Board.
Earlier a dispute over this structure arose three years back when during the road widening project of Muktsar-Kotkapura road, a number of structures were demolished here to make smooth path but the authorities could not muster courage to demolish this structure for some persons of a community assembling and opposing it. It is alleged the entire scene was engineered by the possessor of the structure to shield it.
It is not the odd case that such structure was main hurdle in the widening of main roads here. In Faridkot town also, two structures, standing in middle of the main roads, have generated a lot controversies for some persons shielding these under the garb of religion.
A main prime land which was under the possession of a sadhu at Moga has stirred another controversy last week when the sadhu was killed by some unknown persons. The sadhu had raised a religious structure on the land and it is alleged he was killed to take possession of the land.