Religious structures on govt land will have to pay rent

According to Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari,Ludhiana has nearly 397 religious encroachments and the Administration is all set to deal with the menace.

Of these,353 encroachments are more than 10 years old,in the form of temples,gurdwaras,sufi shrines and so on,and they will be regularised. But the department concerned will charge rent from them as per the market price in a particular area.

Tiwari said,The department concerned will decide the rent rate for the encroachments. Nearly 44 encroachments are less than 10 years old,which will have to be vacated. The encroachers will be warned well ahead.

The DC said this in a meeting with the officials of Ludhiana Municipal Corporation Improvement Trust,Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority(GLADA),Drainage and Canal departments and the number of encroachments was reached upon based on their reports.

The number,however,seems to be a little underplayed. The DC,meanwhile,has issued directions to the departments concerned to chalk out plans to get 44 encroachments vacated and work out on rental deeds,but no deadline has been given.

In the past,authorities have not been so keen to deal with religious encroachments.

For example,the MC team never made the effort to clean a sewer line,because a part of it was under the shoe store of the Dukhniwaran gurdwara.

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