Continuing the crackdown against illegally constructed madarsas and mazars in the Uttarakhand state, Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) recently sent a notice to the Madarsa Jami ul uloom in Sahaspur in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The authorities said that a mosque is being illegally constructed on the premises of the Madarsa, which was also constructed by flouting the guidelines of the development authority.
In addition, a large water tank has been built on the site, which appears to belong to the Government Jal Nigam department at first glance, but when information was obtained, it was discovered to have been illegally built privately by the Madrasa Committee.
All these structures, including the madarsa, the mosque and the water tank, as per a report by Amar Ujala, were built flouting the construction guidelines of the development authority in this area. Taking cognizance of the various complaints received about the same, the Mussoorie-Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) issued notices to the operators for getting the construction done without prior permission and proper papers.
The Tehsil administration has also begun an investigation into the illegal construction of the madarsa and the mosque on the premises. Land measurements and other documents are being scrutinised by the authorities.
The action was taken after locals complained that the madarsa was constructed by completely disregarding the construction rules and regulations. According to the complaint filed with the MDDA, the madarsa was built unlawfully by occupying the land of the Barsati River. According to the complainants, such religious places cannot be built without the authorization of the DM.
After the matter came to the fore, the village Tehsildar and Patwari, the village officer in the local authority who is responsible for measuring the land and maintaining land records, reached the area and assessed the land on which the madarsa was built. During the inspection, the administrative team was also notified that a loudspeaker had been mounted on the mosque built at the madarsa premises, which was then removed. The authorities were further notified that the construction blueprints, map and other documents were not in place after which the MDDA officials issued a notice to madarsa managers inquiring about their responses.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time MDDA authorities raised the issue with madarsa operators. In fact, they had earlier sent them a notice seeking construction plans, maps, and other papers, but they had received no answer from the owners. Following the complaint, the authorities have issued a new notice, failure to respond to which may aggravate the predicaments of the owners of Madrasa Jamiul Uloom in Sahaspur, Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand government launches crackdown on illegal madarsas and mazars
It may be recalled how last month, the Uttarakhand government rolled bulldozers over illegal mazars which were built by encroachment on the reserved forest land. The authorities conducted a survey and identified around 1400 religious structures built illegally on government land.
Prior to this, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reiterated his government’s unsparing stance on illegally constructed mazars on designated forest land that are mushrooming all over the state, including the Jim Corbett National Park, one of the oldest and one of the most famous forested wildlife sanctuaries set amidst the foothills of the Himalayas in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand.
In September 2021, we reported a case of land jihad in Uttrakhand near Tehri Dam. We reported about an illegal mosque that was built during the early 2000s at a site in Khand-Khala Koti Colony, which was in close proximity to the dam, and since then, Hindu organizations have tried multiple times to get it removed. Recently, in the first week of September 2021, a group of local Hindus started fresh protests against the mosque and paced up the efforts to get over 150 square meters of land freed from illegal possession.
In May 2022, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced action against the mazars mushrooming everywhere in the state calling them encroachments.
In June 2022, our team visited various parts of the state, including Jim Corbett National Park, to delve into this issue further. To our horror, there were several mazars that mushroomed up inside Jim Corbett National Park, one of the oldest and one of the most famous forested wildlife sanctuaries set amidst the foothills of the Himalayas in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand.
OpIndia also spoke to Swami Darshan Bharti, a veteran saint working against illegal mazars and drug addicts, who raised concerns about this radical problem plaguing the state of Uttarakhand.
Swami Darshan Bharati told OpIndia that the biggest boost to the Muslim population in Uttarakhand came during the Congress government led by ND Tiwari. He stated that it was not the BJP government, but the previous Congress regime that helped illegal Roginyas settle here by preparing their official documents.
Months after OpIndia brought the demographic imbalance in Uttarakhand to the fore, the state government took cognisance of this impending issue and directed the state authorities to clear forest land of encroachment. The authorities, in turn, launched a major crackdown, rolling bulldozers over illegal mazars which were built by encroachment on the reserved forest land.