Policy on religious structures deferred again

The Delhi Cabinet once again deferred the issue of framing a policy on illegal religious structures on public land in the Capital.

The Delhi Cabinet once again deferred the issue of framing a policy on illegal religious structures on public land in the Capital. The issue had turned volatile when the DDA tried to demolish Noor Masjid in Jangpura area earlier this year.

This is not the first time the Cabinet has put the decision on hold. Earlier,a religious committee,formed after the orders of the High Court,had surveyed the structures in the Capital. The structures have also been listed according to their age.

The governments policy will describe the set of conditions under which an unauthorised structure is removed,relocated or regularised. The road block in framing these guidelines is the fact that the land is owned by multiple agencies in Delhi.

After the meeting of the Delhi Cabinet,government officials said the Principal Secretary and other senior officers had been asked to chalk out further details of the policy,which will be finally sent to the Cabinet for discussion. It will take another week before major contours are chalked out, a senior government official said.

The policy is reportedly being framed after a direction from the Supreme Court,which had asked the state governments not to allow any unauthorised religious constructions on public land.

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