Vox Populi

Let law take its own course
Recently,it has been observed that there is a glaring violation of building bylaws and frequent encroachments take place in the name of religion. On occasions,when authorities concerned have tried to demolish illegal structures,there has been a public outcry because of emotional and religious sentiments. In this connection,laws of the land are very clear. According to the Constitution,all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess,practice and propagate religion. Article 25 of the Constitution protects the freedom to practice rituals and ceremonies in any place,building,premises situated within India,which are considered the integral parts of religion. Land is allotted for religious purposes. But sometimes,managements of these places grab land and the possibility of this land being misused for activities other than religion cannot be ruled out. Under this piquant situation,Article 25 clauses 2 (a) saves the power of the state to regulate or restrict secular activities associated with religious practice. Thus,the state have every right to resume the property of religious places under article 31A (1) (a) and the Public Premises Act,especially when the property,is being misused or when there is a violation of building bylaws. Thus,the right to own and administer property is subject to regulation by the state,the important condition being that such regulation should not affect the survival of the religious institution itself. But still,if there is any kind of encroachment and illegal structures are there,every opportunity is required to be afforded. If still the structures are not got removed,there is no way out except to use the force to demolish the structures. But to take such recourse,it would be better if the authorities concerned exercised a check well before the illegal structures took shape.
S K Khosla,Chandigarh

Verify facts before reporting
The media should own up for misreporting incidents. One wonders why reporters these days are always in a hurry and rarily bother to verify facts? The continuation of press release-based reporting in the 21st century appears to be a backward step in the field of journalism. Surprisingly,all this is happening when there are many fast communication systems available today,which can help verify claims quickly. Even news headlines such as rare surgery performed are rarely supported by authentic evidence or quotes by specialists other than the “news-makers”.
Balvinder,Chandigarh

Where does the buck stop?
I wish to bring to your notice the tourist bus parkings in Sector 21 and Sector 22 of Chandigarh. It is surprising that on one hand,there were no takers for the parking in the recent auction,and on the other hand,there is a rampant encroachment of public land by tourist buses. According to police,the vehicles parked on roads are the responsibility of Municipal Corporation. The MC,meanwhile,had released an advertisement few months ago that strict action will be taken against tourist buses parked on public land,but apparently no further action was taken after this.
Gaurav Bansal,Chandigarh

Police are useless,people will have to protect themselves
The news report City businessman shot at,assailants flee with Rs 7 lakh (Chandigarh Newsline,May 21) is a grim reminder of the increasing crime rate in the city. It is really shocking that criminals shot at 28-year-old Lalit Gupta and took away his money. We often hear from the police that night patrolling in the city has started and armed police vehicles do rounds of the city to keep criminals at bay. Unfortunately,culprits are seldom caught. The police have certainly failed to perform its duty honestly. The seem to be complacent and callous. People are advised to take all sorts of precautions and adopt their own safety methods. Moreover,all should avoid carrying huge sums of money in cash,mostly during night.
R K KAPOOR,Chandigarh

Give Indian citizenship to Pakistani Hindus
This refers to the report Pak Hindus launch fight to ascertain identity (IE,May 20). Hundreds of Pakistani Hindus have visited India on valid passports from time to time. Many have been residing in India for more than ten years and should be given Indian citizenship. Lakhs of Bangladeshis have,on the other hand,migrated to India illegally. Internal position of Pakistan is not good and according to the media,Hindus are humiliated there. The Taliban has also imposed Jaziya (religious tax) on Hindus and other communities in some areas. According to a notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs,Pakistani Hindus can be given citizenship under some rules
M L Garg,Chandigarh