1 week Ago By Alim Shaikh
1 2 3 Pune: Unauthorised religious places including 18 mosques and 13 temples in Kudalwadi and nearby areas have been served notices by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) for erecting structures without approval of the civic building permission department. They have been directed to remove the establishments within two weeks. The move comes two months after the civic body demolished over 4,000 illegal industrial units and scrap shops in the neighbourhood.
A senior PCMC official confirmed the notices were indeed served on Thursday to 18 mosques and 13 temples. Members of the trusts and committees operating these religious places have been directed to remove the illegal structures within two weeks. Local residents said the religious structures were built and operated by traders whose shops and industrial units were brought down by PCMC in one of the largest demolition drives in the city in Feb.
A senior PCMC official said the delay to demolish these structures was because it was decided then to not take action against illegal residential and religious places, banks and ATMs. Meanwhile, officials of mosque and temple trusts said the structures were in existence since around 40 years, but never had they received any notice from PCMC. Yakub Khan, president of Chishtiya trust which runs Royal Colony masjid, said, "Our area has at least 10 mosques which must be over 40 years old.
Some temples are 50 years old, a time when PCMC itself did not exist. We have never received any notice from the municipal corporation in the past." Balasaheb More, president of Shree Vyapari Mitra Mandal which handles the operations of Durga Mata Mandir in Kudalwadi, said the temple was legally registered with the charity commissioner and had functioned all these years without any objection from any authority.
"The temple was built with donations from locals, traders and even public representatives — including MLAs and MPs. Authorities did not find the construction illegal for all these years, but suddenly wakes up and sends notices," More said. "The govt should not bring politics into everything.
Religious places of both communities should be preserved," he added. Niyaz Siddiqui, president of Raza Masjid committee, said the mosque has existed since 1992-93. Initially, it operated from a tin shade structure, but a permanent structure was built later.
It was registered with the charity commissioner and waqf board and they had never received a notice from PCMC earlier, he said. "We will not let the authorities take any action against the temples and mosques in our area. The communities will stand together to save the religious structures," Niyaz said.
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