Temples of Goddess Verai Mata and Bhathuji Maharaj constructed by the residents on open space were demolished amidst police protection on Friday.

The residents admitted that they had not taken the GSCB's permission to construct temples. ``We had only expanded the deli of Goddess Verai Mata,'' Vimla Rathod and Ranjitsinh Rathod said. ``We spent nearly Rs 15,000 and were to install the idol in the first half of December,'' Mehmuda Ganchi, a resident said. Kanchan Solanki of Harijanwas said they would rebuild Bhathuji's temple. They have demanded that the GSCB should bear the expenses of new construction. GSCB sources claimed that construction of new temples were not required as two temples of Bhathuji Maharaj and Lord Ambe existed there.

Board's Vadodara division Executive Engineer R C Shah told Express Newsline that they would ensure that the temples were not constructed again. ``If the structures come up, we will again take action,'' Shah said. Highly placed sources said the new constructions were stopped at the initial stage. They further said not many temples and religious places built by residents staying in GSCB houses blocked open spaces or roads.

In another related issue, while Shah said that Devnagar had not taken permission and submitted papers for even the existing Bhathuji temple, the Rathods said the decision had to be taken by the locality leaders.

Shah said action in case of Kishanwadi would depend upon a State-level policy. In the policy, the Board is expected to fix the fine for regularisation and set guidelines for demolishing structures blocking service lines.

In Kishanwadi, the residents have not only made extra constructions on the service lines but have also changed the residential into commercial ones.

It may be recalled that for long Kishanwadi has been facing the problem of frequent drainage choke-ups and the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) complaining that it cannot clean the lines as people have extended their houses on the service lines.

In the notices issued recently, the residents have been asked to demolish the constructions voluntarily. If they do not comply with the notices, the structures blocking the service lines would be demolished.

Surveying unauthorised constructions was a continuous process, he said, adding that over the last several years, nearly 60 per cent residents of 4,000 units in Vadodara had either blocked the service lines, changed the nature of purpose or made extra floors without permission. Among the 4,000 houses are 1,965 houses in Kishanwadi, 427 in Tarsali, 192 in Subhanpura and 87 in Gadhapura.

In the cases where foundation of the houses can bear the load of a second floor, the residents would be asked to take the VMC's permission and the GSCB would also take fine from the defaulters, he added. Once these formalities are completed, the structures will be regularised, Shah added.

A few months ago, in an interview with Express Newsline, GSCB chairman Jitendra Sukhadia had said the Board had planned to regularise certain unauthorised constructions as it would also help in raising income.