Taking advantage of the upcoming local body elections in Uttarakhand, a mosque was illegally constructed in Jamalpur Kalan near Haridwar. According to a report of Panchjanya, the illegal mosque was constructed on Sarai Marg in Jamalpur Kalan without obtaining necessary permission from the authorities.
As per the report, the mosque, which was a makeshift structure earlier, stands on an illegally occupied land. No permission was taken from the authorities to change it into a permanent structure as that would have required furnishing the papers of the land. Therefore, the mosque was constructed in a rushed manner to escape any scrutiny by the authorities.
A complaint was reportedly filed by the leader of a local Hindu organisation against the illegal construction in the Haridwar Roorkee Development Authority. As as soon as the authorities came to know about the illegal construction, a team of Haridwar Roorkee Development Authority reached the spot and sealed the illegal construction. A notice prohibiting the construction of the mosque was served by the authorities earlier but it was ignored. However, this time the authorities have warned that if the construction is resumed, legal action will be taken against those responsible.
According to the direction of the Supreme Court, the construction or renovation of any religious structure cannot be carried out without prior permission of the District Magistrate or the concerned authorities.
Noticeably, recently the authorities had demolished the gate of a mosque in Jwalapur which was being constructed illegally in a similar manner during Manglaur Legislative Assembly bye-elections.
The preparations for the upcoming local body elections are in full swing in Uttarakhand. The Election Commission has fixed the date of election on January 23.
