Government seeks views on illegal religious shrines TNN | Jun 3, 2012, 05.26AM IST
PANAJI: The government has put up a draft policy, seeking to lay down procedure for removal of unauthorized religious structures, while retaining and regularizing decades-old ones and relocating others, in the public domain for suggestions. The ten-page draft policy on religious structures is being circulated to panchayats and is also available on the government site for perusal. "After 30 days, the objections and suggestions received from the public will be compiled and submitted to the government," North Goa collector, Mihir Vardhan said. Treading cautiously on this issue, the BJP-led government had announced that it would invite suggestions from the public to finalize the policy to remove illegal structures as directed by an order of the Supreme Court. The erstwhile Congress government had carried out part of the process through committees and identified 979 illegal structures. Later, only 80 of them were earmarked for demolition, around 336 for regularization and the others for relocation. The unauthorized religious structures in non-comunidade land are proposed to be removed within 90 days after the order is passed. "There are about 80 religious structures, including 31 in North Goa and 49 in South Goa, identified for removal by the district administration," the policy states. The land owning agency (LOA) or estate officer (EO) will have to apply to the TLC with details of encroachment, survey number, size and nature of encroachment and public hindrance and personal information about the encroacher. After the issue of show cause notice under Section 40 of land revenue code 1968 to the all concerned parties for a reply within 30 days, the TLC will issue orders, even ex-parte if the party representing the structure fails to appear, for its removal within 15 days. "The entire cost of the removal of structures shall be borne by the land owning agency," the policy states. For relocation of religious structures, the land owning agency/estate officer has to apply to the TLC with requisite details and documents. "If interested parties appear before the TLC, they will be given an opportunity of hearing within 15 days," the policy states. If parties fail to respond, the TLC will have the right to decide about relocation or demolition at the cost of the government or land owning agency. The district administration has recommended regularization of a total of 336 structures, including 292 in north Goa and 44 in south Goa. But the owners of the land on which the structures are located would have to apply to the TLC with requisite documents and a plan containing all details. In case of lack of response, the TLC will decide about the regularization of such structures at the owner's or government's cost. The structures which are difficult to be shifted will be removed, the policy states. If no organizations, trusts and managements apply for relocation of structures, they will be liable for demolition. The policy envisages formation of state, headed by chief minister and district and taluka level committees, headed by district collectors as chairmen. The DLC and TLC will inspect the records of all religious structures, which are more than hundred years old or less. If the structures are obstructing traffic movement, the panels will work out plans to shift them to other locations at the cost of the respective bodies, management or trusts. The government will carve out a separate fund to take care of the expenditure involved in removal and relocation of the illegal structures. The government has proposed to take a strict line (of action) against officials for reasons of delay, laxity in removal of structures and encroachments, as also in preventing construction of illegal structures, such as temple, church, mosque or gurudwara, in future. "Departmental action shall be initiated against the official found guilty, besides the entire cost of demolition of the illegal religious structures will be recovered from the officer's salary," a clause in the policy states. The government has also proposed to appoint an ombudsman to look into grievances of parties aggrieved by the policy within a specific time frame. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Government-seeks-views-on-illegal-religious-shrines/articleshow/13756875.cms
