Ranchi: Jharkhand government on Saturday said
notices were served to religions structures in the state to
ascertain their legal status as per Supreme Court directive.
"There is no need to get agitated following the notices
served in the backdrop of a Supreme Court directive to all
states and union territories to review and identify how many
religious structures have come up on public places or parks,"
Chief Secretary A K Singh told a news conference here.
"That (notices) does not mean the structures would be
demolished immediately. There are three stages before a final
decision is taken, which has to be taken two months from
filing of an affidavit by the government in the apex court,"
Singh said adding a government official had gone to Delhi to
file the reply.
After getting status reports from 1,865 religious
structures spread across the state, he said the government
would take a decision as to which of them should be
regularised or relocated or demolished.
"Therefore, I would appeal to all to maintain calm and
peace," the chief secretary said reacting to Viswha Hindu
Parishad?s Ranchi bandh called tomorrow and Mahavir Mandal?s
(a religious group) Jharkhand bandh on September 4, according
to their leaders.
The BJP had yesterday warned the government against any
move to demolish any religious structure, a day after Ranchi
administration sent notices to 39 religious structures to
explain the legal status of their land on which the structures
had come up.
As per the directives issued in 2009 and 2010 in
connection with a PIL filed in 2006, the Supreme Court had
asked to frame policy in respect of existing unauthorised
constructions of religious nature in public places / parks and
public streets and other places.
PTI
