NEW DELHI: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday said that its government has stepped up to prevent the demolition of 74 temples, mazars, and gurdwaras for infrastructure development projects in Delhi.
Sisodia, in a press conference, said that the Delhi Police has released reports regarding the religious structures, recommending that they should not be demolished hence he is making an appeal to the Lieutenant Governor arguing that these religious structures are visited by lakhs of devotees and have strong emotional connections with people, and their demolition could trigger a law and order situation in the capital.
According to reports, the L-G had claimed that the government was holding back files related to the demolition of temples, mazars, and gurdwaras which he claimed was affecting various development projects. A total of 67 temples, six mazars, and one gurdwara have been identified for demolition in 19 files. Sisodia said that modifications could be made to the designs of the infrastructure development projects to avoid demolishing these religious structures.
He said that in an era when modern architecture and technology have advanced, it is possible to modify designs to meet the requirements of the environment, and the same can be done in this case to save the temples, mazars, and gurdwaras. He emphasised that development is essential, but it should not hurt people’s religious sentiments.
Structures marked for demolition include Sarva Mangal Siddha Peeth, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Dham, and Shyam Math Temple. In addition, 49 temples and one mazar have been identified for demolition under GPRA projects of the Centre.