The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the district authorities to remove encroachments in the form of religious structures on public roads and other public places by individuals and groups.
In a public interest litigation, the Bhopal Citizens' Forum had urged that the authorities be directed to remove all encroachments from such roads and public places, BCF convener AC Chandra said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Forum has written to the Collector, the Municipal Commissioner and the Principal Secretary (Urban Administration) to prepare a time-bound action plan as directed by the court.
The court recently passed the order reiterating directives issued by it on July 19, 2013 in the context of religious structures on public land and roads in Jabalpur, he added. In the order, the court directed district authorities to continue to remove religious structures on roads within Jabalpur in a phased manner and report compliance to the court's Registrar General once every three months on the affidavit of the Collector who shall supply a copy of the same to the petitioner.
The district authorities will not allow encroachment on public land from which unauthorised religious structures were removed. The court further directed that it should be ensured that no religious structures are constructed on public land and roads and to see that no religious structures that were removed are reconstructed.
"The BCF moved the court as the mushrooming illegal structures on roads and public places are assuming alarming proportions with acute problems of traffic movement and causing mishaps. It is also resulting in impediment to the socio-economic development of the rapidly-expanding capital," Chandra said.