BAREILLY: The Sambhal district administration on Monday issued notices to owners of 11 shops allegedly built on encroached govt land near a mosque – known as Thanewali Masjid as it is located in front of the Kotwali police station — in Sambhal city, giving them a 24-hour deadline to remove the structures or the shops will be demolished using a bulldozer. Officials said the “illegal shops have to be removed so that a “road-widening project can go ahead”.
Sambhal sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Vandana Mishra said, “The mosque committee, which has been collecting rent from these shops for years, claims the structures were built on Waqf land and has sought time to present relevant documents as they have to be brought in from Lucknow.”
The ultimatum followed the discovery of an “ancient” stepwell near the Kotwali police station, which led the administration to increase its vigilance in the area. SDM held a meeting at the Sambhal Kotwali premises, during which notices were handed to shopkeepers instructing them to remove the shops themselves within 24 hours.
Mishra told TOI, “An ancient stepwell was found near the Kotwali police station last month, and several illegal shops were built on this land, which belongs to the state. The shopkeepers were given 24 hours to file their reply, but they have yet to provide the required documents. We will take appropriate action after the notice period is over.”
A shopkeeper said, “We don’t think the authorities will listen to us. We can provide the required documents, but the time given to us is too short. We can’t even go to court.”
Meanwhile, cleaning and excavation work around the stepwell continued on Monday. The district administration also carried out similar operations at other historical sites in Sambhal. Excavation was underway at the Laxmanganj locality in Chandausi town. Encroachments near this site, including a house, were removed after a 24-hour eviction notice, and efforts are ongoing to trace the end of a secret tunnel found inside the stepwell.
DM Rajender Pensiya earlier said an investigation will be conducted, including a review of land records from 1952, and that encroachers will be removed from the premises soon. The administration has urged residents to cooperate with the ongoing efforts to preserve “Sambhal’s historical and cultural heritage”.
Recently, authorities uncovered alleged encroachment on the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected Chandreshwar Mahadev temple land in Hayat Nagar. The temple’s trustees said that while the temple owns 84 bighas of land, only 19 bighas remain in its possession, with the rest occupied by “encroachers”.
Bareilly: The Sambhal district administration on Monday issued notices to owners of 11 shops allegedly built on encroached govt land near a mosque – known as Thanewali Masjid as it is located in front of the Kotwali police station — in Sambhal city, giving them a 24-hour deadline to remove the structures or the shops will be demolished using a bulldozer. Officials said the “illegal shops have to be removed so that a “road-widening project can go ahead”.
Sambhal sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Vandana Mishra said, “The mosque committee, which has been collecting rent from these shops for years, claims the structures were built on Waqf land and has sought time to present relevant documents as they have to be brought in from Lucknow.”
The ultimatum followed the discovery of an “ancient” stepwell near the Kotwali police station, which led the administration to increase its vigilance in the area. SDM held a meeting at the Sambhal Kotwali premises, during which notices were handed to shopkeepers instructing them to remove the shops themselves within 24 hours.
Mishra told TOI, “An ancient stepwell was found near the Kotwali police station last month, and several illegal shops were built on this land, which belongs to the state. The shopkeepers were given 24 hours to file their reply, but they have yet to provide the required documents. We will take appropriate action after the notice period is over.”
A shopkeeper said, “We don’t think the authorities will listen to us. We can provide the required documents, but the time given to us is too short. We can’t even go to court.”
Meanwhile, cleaning and excavation work around the stepwell continued on Monday. The district administration also carried out similar operations at other historical sites in Sambhal. Excavation was underway at the Laxmanganj locality in Chandausi town. Encroachments near this site, including a house, were removed after a 24-hour eviction notice, and efforts are ongoing to trace the end of a secret tunnel found inside the stepwell.
DM Rajender Pensiya earlier said an investigation will be conducted, including a review of land records from 1952, and that encroachers will be removed from the premises soon. The administration has urged residents to cooperate with the ongoing efforts to preserve “Sambhal’s historical and cultural heritage”.
Recently, authorities uncovered alleged encroachment on the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected Chandreshwar Mahadev temple land in Hayat Nagar. The temple’s trustees said that while the temple owns 84 bighas of land, only 19 bighas remain in its possession, with the rest occupied by “encroachers”.
