One of the most conspicuous constructions which has come up beyond Uttar Marg is the Gursagar gurdwara complex, which includes a school up to Class VIII, a dispensary, juice bar, tennis stadium and a floodlit cricket stadium where a cricket match is organised annually. None of these structures are authorised and nor can they be authorised under the present UT laws and zoning ordinances.

Undoubtedly, there are scores of constructions of illegal religious places in and around the City (see box), but none so brazen as this one. The desirability of the gurdwara's activities is not a issue; rather, the point is uniform application of the law.

"The entire complex has been developed on agricultural land purchased from farmers," asserts Foundation chairman Sant Baba Pritpal Singh Maharaj. But, as per UT Administration records, the construction is in violation of the Periphery Control Act.

The gurdwara took shape in 1978 while the Gursagar International Public School came up in 1990 and the Gursagar Cricket Stadium in 1995. In addition, the gurdwara management committee has cleared a portion of land under the Forest Department for making a car-park. Forest officials told Newsline that the matter had already been brought to the notice of senior UT officials, but no steps have been taken so far.

Sant Pritpal Singh explains: "In 1995, the Foundation submitted a master plan to the Central government, the UT Administration and the Punjab government, seeking permission for developing a 115-acre complex in the area at a cost of Rs 92 crore. The scheme includes a school, an old age home, a free cancer treatment hospital and a professional college -- engineering, medical or dental -- depending on the permission given by the government. Till now, we have no response to our letters".

Having received no unequivocal veto from the government, the Foundation is going ahead and intends to have the old age home and hospital and school building up by 1999 Baisakhi.

In the eyes of his admirers, the sant is "doing what the government cannot do". Says the sant's wife, Charan Kamal Kaur: "All this will be accomplished through the donations from the sangat. We know that the government may raise problems later, so the Foundation wants to purchase land for the project".

The sant's personal secretary, Inder Pal Singh, adds that the Foundation seeks no financial assistance from the government but only permission to construct on the land. "The government has fixed the reserve price of the land at Rs 20 lakh per acre. We are ready to pay more too if permission is given to us," he stresses.

Sant Pritpal Singh admits: "The UT Administration is not co-operating with the Foundation in setting up the complex, but Central and state-level political leaders visit the gurdwara regularly," he says. Specifically, he mentions Buta Singh, Balram Jakhar, Ram Jethmalani, Satya Pal Jain, Surjit Singh Barnala, Sunderlal Patwa, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Beant Singh. The place attracts large crowds on religious occasions.

He claims that former UT Administrator late Surendra Nath gave permission for the construction of toilets and a parking area on the adjoining land and had recommended sewerage and water connection too, "but later, the toilets were demolished and the parking area spoilt by a crew sent by the Administration".

The sant recalls that when he came to the area about 20 years ago, it was thickly forested and uninhabited. "If land can be given to other religious organisations, why not us?" he questions.

UT officials have been planning to take action against the Gursagar gurdwara, terming it an "illegal construction", but little has been done. No official is ready to come on record. "We are going to take appropriate action on this very soon" has been the statement given by senior UT officials for several months now. Officials admit that letters have been written from one department to the other that something should be done about the "unauthorised construction".

A top official pointed out that last year too, action was being considered but never taken.