The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed the Chandigarh Administration to furnish details on its policy regarding unauthorised religious structures in the city. Last year, the Union government had assured the Supreme Court that it shall convene a meeting of all state secretaries concerned and evolve a consensus on the manner in which unauthorised religious structures should be dealt with.

At a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, chaired by Union Home Secretary G K Pillai, the Chandigarh Administration was asked to identify unauthorised religious structures in the city and formulate a time-bound strategy to demolish or relocate such structures.

“Instructions were also issued to prevent any such religious encroachment on government land in future,” UT Home Secretary Ram Niwas told Newsline. According to a survey conducted by the Administration, Chandigarh has around 307 unauthorised religious structures, which have come up on nearly 650 acres of prime government land. Although the UT Master Plan has a provision for only 57 temples, 27 gurdwaras, 10 churches and seven mosques, the figures reveal that there are 240 unauthorised temples, 56 gurdwaras; six churches and five mosques. In 2006, the Gujarat High Court had invoked a suo moto extraordinary writ jurisdiction and directed various municipal corporations to take immediate steps for removal of unauthorised religious structures in public places. The Supreme Court, however, issued a notice on the petition and stayed the operation. Last September, in a communiqué sent to the Chandigarh Administration, the Central government had stated that “a balance must be maintained between the need to preserve religious structures and the need to protect public property from encroachment”.

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