NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party MP from West Delhi constituency, Parvesh Verma, on Tuesday wrote to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, seeking an inquiry into “mushrooming of mosques on government land” in the national capital.
In the letter, Verma said that if the “menace” of construction of mosques on government land was not addressed on priority, it will take an “ugly shape” which would be difficult to manage later.
“I would like to apprise you regarding a peculiar type of trend seen in certain areas of my constituency, in particular, but prevailing in whole Delhi, that of mushrooming of mosques on government land, roads, and secluded places. These mosques not only hamper the smooth flow of traffic, but are a great cause of inconvenience to the public in general,” Verma’s letter said.
Seeking the formation of a committee to initiate an inquiry into the matter, Verma said that he expected the matter to be taken up seriously to stop the “menace”.“I would urge you to please constitute a committee of officers of Municipal Corporations, New Delhi Municipal Council, Public Work Department (PWD), police, irrigation and flood control, and horticulture department etc. headed by district magistrate of the concerned area which should conduct a survey where these mosques have come up on government land,” the letter said.
According to Verma, at least 20 mosques have been built on government land at different locations, including Raghubir Nagar and Uttam Nagar in West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency.
Syed Tariq Bukhari, general secretary of Muslim Majlis-e-Amal, a Muslim organisation, said that the issue needed to be looked into appropriately because if any mosque was built on government land allotted for the purpose as per the rules or purchased by the management committee, it was the responsibility of the authorities, such as Delhi Traffic Police, to manage traffic in the area.“As per Sharia law, a mosque is not valid on encroached land,” said Bukhari.