Srinagar, Mar 31: Following the Supreme Court direction, the Jammu and Kashmir government has undertaken a survey to identify the places of worship - of all communities – that have come up illegally on the state land over the years.
A top government official told Greater Kashmir that the government had conveyed the Apex Court direction to the revenue department heads in all the districts to identify such ‘illegal’ structures.
“The states and union territories have been directed through Chief Secretaries to submit the list of such religious structures which caused obstruction to the people. The process has been started regardless of the community having raised such structures as per the Apex Court directions,” Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Me’raj Ahmad Kakroo, told Greater Kashmir.
He said the survey had been undertaken and a comprehensive report would be submitted to the government. “We will be identifying the religious and other institutions of all the communities built on the public land, roadsides, which are hindering public movement. The government will take a view on regularization or relocation of such structures,” Kakroo said. “The government has only undertaken the survey and no action is being taken regarding the fate of such structures.”
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court had asked all the states and union territories to appraise it of their policies on existing religious structures built illegally on public land. A division bench comprising Justices Dalveer Bhandari and K S Radhakrishnan had passed the direction asking the state governments for details as to how they proposed to deal with such structures.
“The survey will be undertaken throughout the state. As per the Court directions a comprehensive plan about the fate of the religious structures will be prepared mentioning if the government propose razing such structures or relocate them, regularize them or accept them as fate accompli,” sources said.
All the cases, sources said would be dealt with case-to-case basis. “The Supreme Court has already passed directions to all the states and the union territories directing not to allow building of any new religious structure on public land,” sources said. The restriction would apply to mosques, temples, churches, gurdwaras and other places of worship of all communities.
“The state government will build a consensus on evolving a mechanism to deal with such cases,” sources said.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 1 Apr 2010 00:00:00 IST