The temple is run by the Jyotiswarup Jhulelal Mandir Trust and is — the Sindhi community claims — about 50 years old. (Photo: Bhupendra Rana)
Hours after Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s (VMC) anti-encroachment department razed a temple in order to clear the peripheral pavement of the renovated Sursagar lake on Monday afternoon, the religious structure was again constructed in the evening after the Sindhi community raised slogans against the civic body.
Late on Monday evening, BJP leaders including former MLA Bhupendra Lakhawala and elected representative Ketan Brahmabhatt, who is also the Leader of the party of the VMC, supervised the reconstruction of the temple. The temple trust undertook the task to rebuild the structure.
The temple is — the Sindhi community claims — about 50 years old. It is run by the Jyotiswarup Jhulelal Mandir Trust and also has an ‘akhand jyoti’ or a lamp that is lit all the time.
As part of the civic body’s drive to remove all “encroachments” along the peripheral pavement of the Sursagar lake, the officers razed the structure and left the idol of Jhulelal and the lamp on the roadside. The Sindhi community soon gathered at the site and started making calls to the elected representatives of the BJP from the ward as well as other leaders. Members of the Trust told this newspaper that the civic body had acted in “excess of power” as the temple even had electricity connection and was paying its taxes.
Officers of the anti-encroachment department said they were only following the orders as communicated by the executive wing.
Realising the decision has not gone down well with the people, BJP leaders immediately gathered at the spot demanding immediate reconstruction of the structure. The community leaders also submitted a memorandum to VMC Commissioner N B Upadhyay in this regard.
A member of the Trust told this newspaper, “The temple has been in place for over 50 years and has a bonafide electricity connection as well as paying taxes to the VMC. They demolished the temple without any notice. It hurt us.”
Brahmabhatt said, “There was no such decision passed to raze the temple. It was a mistake and we understand that the sentiments of the people have been hurt so we are supporting whatever is right. The temple is not an encroachment and the community should have been taken into confidence before taking any step even if it was part of the plan.”
VMC Commissioner said the civic body had not approved of any reconstruction after the initial structure was demolished on Monday. “We will look into their memorandum tomorrow and examine their claim of paying taxes. The plan to erase all encroachments along the pavement of Sursagar is part of the beautification project and this includes all structures not only temples. Once we have demolished it, there is no way we will approve its reconstruction.”