Against HC order, NMC officer stalls demolition of two dargahs

Nagpur: In a blatant violation of Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court’s orders to raze all illegal structures from roads and footpaths, assistant municipal commissioner of Lakadganj zone Rajesh Karade on Saturday reportedly stalled the demolition drive and granted two more days to two dargahs blocking traffic on Old Bhandara Road and Central Avenue.
On June 22, 2016, Karade was suspended for ignoring an illegal pandal in the middle of the road at Meetha Neem Dargah.

Additional municipal commissioner Ravindra Thakre on Friday had submitted an affidavit in the high court about the plan to demolish nine religious structures, including the two dargahs, on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the adjoining Gandhibagh zone led by assistant municipal commissioner Ashok Patil razed two dargahs and a couple of temples on Central Avenue.

Following high court directives, under the guidance of Thakre, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) estate department had planned to demolish one dargah and two temples on Old Bhandara Road. On Central Avenue, plan was to demolish one temple and four mazaars from footpath and roads.

As per schedule, the NMC anti-encroachment squad, armed with excavators and trucks, and officials from National Highways Authorities of India reached Old Bhandara road on Saturday morning. To prevent any law and order situation, a huge posse of policemen led by deputy commissioner of police Rahul Maknikar was deployed.

The office-bearers of two Bangaramna temples readily agreed to cooperate with the NMC. One of the office-bearers Mukund Adewar claimed that both temples were constructed in 1915 on private land. “We have documents to prove our ownership,” he claimed and added that recently they had deposited Rs60,000 with the high court.

“How can NMC team demolish the temples,” they asked. When anti-encroachment department officials refused to entertain them, the office-bearers agreed to extend support to the drive and started dismantling the temple on their own.

However, the office-bearers of Hazrat Baba Haider Ali Dargah protested the drive. Initially, Karade was in no mood to give any relaxation. But the representatives from the minority community informed him that they need time to remove remnants inside the dargah and sought two days’ time.

Terming their demand as genuine and “not wanting to hurt their religious sentiments”, Karade said, “we gave time to remove the structures by Sunday evening”, and added that if they fail to keep their word, the NMC will raze the structures on Monday.

Karade also gave time to shift the remnants from Hazrat Baba Sayyad Saheb near Al Zam Zam Hotel on Central Avenue, which falls under Gandhibagh zone.

However, the squad razed one Hanuman temple near Rahate Hospital, two dargahs and one Mahakal temple on Central Avenue. The Hanuman Nagar zone too razed two structures.

Interestingly, NMC in its affidavit on August 29 had assured the HC to raze all illegal structures on roads and footpaths by August 31. The HC had then asked both NMC and NIT to complete the formalities. Almost a month later, both agencies have failed to remove all structures till date, in clear contempt of HC directives.