Gadkari unhappy with drive to raze religious structures in

Amid protests over a drive to remove illegal religious structures, Union minister and Nagpur MP Nitin Gadkari has written to district collector asking him to take necessary steps to regularise and shift those structures that are not causing any hindrance to traffic.

He also said the government agencies involved in the demolition drive would be solely responsible in case of any law and order situation that arises out of the demolition drive.

In his letter to district collector Ashwin Mudgal, Gadkari asked him to take appropriate steps to address the issue in the interest of the citizens.

The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) had launched a drive to demolish illegal religious structures in the city after the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court pulled it up for inaction.

Several people had taken out a march against the drive and met Gadkari at his residence on June 1.

A delegation that called on Gadkari had claimed that demolition of temples, dargaahs and Buddha Vihars are hurting their sentiments and creating tension.

"The citizens of Nagpur are very dissatisfied by the demolition drive of religious structures situated in colonies and bastis and shown as illegal by the NMC and Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) and has created question of law and order in the city.

"I, as the MP of Nagpur, have a responsibility towards the safety of citizens and the law and order situation in the city," Gadkari stated in the letter.

He also stated that all the religious structures in the city are not completely illegal and can be regularised.

"District Collector, NMC commissioner, NMC chairman, NIT, and police department will be completely responsible for law an order situation arising out of the demolition of religious structures which can be regulated and shifted as per government rules," said Gadkari.

He appealed to the district collector to take necessary steps to regularise and shift those religious structures that are not causing hindrances and are located in colonies and bastis.

BJP's Nagpur spokesperson Chandan Goswami told PTI that the party would file a review petition in the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court to stop the demolition process.