The Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh has ordered the removal of all the illegal religious structures in the state.
The order has been issued in accordance with the June 3, 2016 judgment of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court.
The court had ordered the removal of all religious structures built on encroached land.
The Supreme Court had, in 2009, ordered the identification and removal of religious structures built on encroached land in Uttar Pradesh.
The Bahujan Samaj Party led by Mayawati was in power in the state. About 40000 such structures were identified in 2009. But, considering the sensitivity of the matter, it was shelved.
It is believed, the number of such structures has gone up dramatically in the last decade in Uttar Pradesh.
All the concerned district authorities have been asked to submit the compliance report in the next two months.
Such structures are a real challenge in the development of road infrastructure in the state.
Considering the high stakes, successive governments have avoided implementing the court order. Mayawati lost power in 2012 and Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party became the chief minister.
Akhilesh too lost power in 2017 and Yogi Adityanath became the chief minister.
