Cuttack temple demolitions resume, HC seeks details

After paying compensation for relocating temples and other places of worship elsewhere, the Cuttack district administration resumed eviction of encroachments along the National Highway-5 here today.
"The National Highway Authority of India sanctioned a compensation of Rs 19 lakh toward relocation of at least 19 places of worship, including 11 temples that have come up unauthorised encroaching the highway from both sides between Gopalpur and Phulanakhara," Cuttack Sadar sub-collector Sudarshan Parida said.
The administration with the assistance of the commissionerate police pulled down three temples.
While four temples were demolished last week, four more would be pulled down in the stretch on Friday, Parida said.

Five temple trusts received compensation during the day. The remaining would be paid after verification of documents, he added.
Meanwhile, the Orissa High Court today issued notice to the district administration asking it to furnish a detailed report stating how many places of worship were identified in the city for encroaching on government land and how many were pulled down.
In an interim order on a PIL pertaining to the civic problems of the city, a Division Bench of Justices Indrajit Mohanti and S C Parija issued the notice to the Cuttack district administration, which undertook the temple demolition drive since May 2013 following an order from the high court.