NEW DELHI: Thirteen days after demolition and removal activities began around the Race Course mosque in New Delhi, the Delhi Waqf Board has written to the Land and Development Office (L&DO) and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), seeking restoration of its electricity and water connections.
In letters dated October 19 and 21, the board’s Chief Executive Officer, Tanvir Ahmad, urged the authorities to restore the utilities to facilitate five daily prayers. The correspondence comes four days after the mosque’s imam alleged that officials claiming to represent the L&DO had directed him to vacate the premises within three days, warning that the mosque would subsequently be removed.
He also alleged that the connections were disconnected during demolition and removal activities in the surrounding area on October 7. In its letter to the L&DO, the board said the Masjid and Qabristan Race Course, spread over two bighas, was notified as a Waqf property in the Delhi Administration’s Official Gazette on September 8, 1977.
The mosque is under the board’s direct management. In its letter to the NDMC chairman, the board said the mosque was not subject to any court case, according to available information. It cited records showing a lawful electricity connection since 1976 and sought restoration of both utilities. A copy of the letter was marked to the Ministry of Minority Affairs.