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Makeshift structure comes up near site of razed Chandni Chowk temple
Till late Friday evening, there was no clarity from various government departments whether there was any permission for construction of the temple structure or not.
Nearly one-and-a-half months after the Hanuman temple in Chandni Chowk was demolished for the redevelopment project, a new temporary structure has come up on the central verge near the old site. The makeshift structure, locals claim, was constructed on Thursday night, though it is not known who built it.
Till late Friday evening, there was no clarity from various government departments whether there was any permission for construction of the temple structure or not.
The structure has been built on the 1.5-km-long stretch between Red Fort and Fatehpuri Masjid, which has been made a vehicle-free zone.
The old temple, which was located on the pavement of the carriageway towards Red Fort, was demolished by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation on the directions of the Delhi High Court on January 3. The action led to protest by various right-wing groups and triggered a blame game between the Aam Aadmi Party government and the Bharatiya Janata party-ruled North corporation.
On Friday, Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta and Mayor of North corporation Jai Prakash, along with other senior party leaders, visited the makeshift temple to offer prayers.
In January, leaders of the BJP met Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal to request allotment of land near the old site for the reconstruction of the temple. When asked if the land has been allotted for the construction of the temple, Jai Prakash said, “The temple has been constructed by the devotees of the Lord Hanuman. I’m not aware about the permission given to construct it. But the temple will only add to the beauty of the area and the redevelopment project. The structure has come up on the central verge, where other facilities are also located.”
Gupta said, “When I got to know about the new temple at the site, I went there to offer prayers. The old temple shouldn’t have been demolished in the first place; it was a mistake. Religious sentiments of lakhs of people living in the area and in the city were hurt when the 100-year-old temple was demolished. The new structure will not obstruct traffic and pedestrian movement; it will only add to the beauty of the area.”
Senior AAP leader Durgesh Pathak said he will visit the new temple on Saturday. Pathak tweeted, “Local residents of Chandni Chowk have constructed the old Hanuman temple. I’ll visit the temple tomorrow and offer prayers.”
Throughout Friday, devotees queued up before the temple to offer prayers.
Officials of the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC), the nodal agency for the redevelopment of the Chandni Chowk project, didn’t respond to HT’s query whether permission to construct the new structure was given or not.
A senior police officer who did not want to be named said on Friday morning PWD officials informed the police the makeshift religious structure. “The structure is not at the same place where an old temple was demolished. The requisite police action is being taken. We have informed all agencies concerned. A formal complaint is yet to be received. We will take the legal action after a complaint is received,” the officer said.
When contacted, the Delhi government in a statement said, “We are examining the issue”.
The area falls in the jurisdiction of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. A senior North corporation official said, “As per our information, no permission has been given for the construction of the structure. We are examining the matter.”
