The Jim Corbett National Park, one of the oldest and most well-known forested wildlife sanctuaries in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, is one of the places affected by the illegally built Mazars that are blooming throughout the state. On April 7, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reiterated his government’s stern stance on the illegally built Mazars that are taking place on designated forest land.
The Uttarakhand chief minister is seen promising to do all it takes to eradicate the threat of “land jihad” from Devbhoomi Uttarakhand in a tweet posted by CM Dhami on April 7. Numerous unauthorised mazars, or mausoleums, have been erected on forest property in Uttarakhand, according to Dhami, who also said that these constructions are home to “anti-social elements” and that his administration will take “strict action” against them.
He asserted that his administration upholds the law and that nothing unlawful will be done in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand. He said that although the state administration does not specifically oppose any faith or group, they would not spare anybody engaging in “land jihad” or “mazar jihad.” Unambiguously, Dhami declared that the encroachers must take down these unlawful constructions on their own within the next six months or prepare to face legal consequences. He stated that until all mazars constructed in Jim Corbett National Park are promptly taken down, the government will do so.
The budding problem of unlawful land invasion, which is not just ubiquitous in particular areas but is gradually engulfing the whole state of Uttarakhand, is cause for alarm. It is regrettable that the topic of “land jihad” in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, which has been widely covered by the local newspapers, has only lately received notice from the mainstream media.
What is the Mazar Jihad?
A particular community’s attempt to assert control, assertiveness, dominance, and dominion over land to which they are not legally entitled, as well as an attempt made with an objectiveness to have an impact on the demography and dominance exercised over a specific region, is referred to as land jihad. Such encroachments not only have the potential to expand the dominance of the encroaching community in the area where the encroachment is taking place, but they also have the potential to prevent the general public from benefiting themselves from the utilisation of the public land and also deprives them from the advantages of public property. It is argued that the rich history and cultural legacy of a state like Uttarakhand is pushed into an endless void when a particular community of the society is permitted to express its control over the public resources. The introduction of the encroachers’ culture has the potential to have an impact on the state’s cultural heritage and social fabric by having a significant impact on the state’s initial demographics.
Such an impact may reduce a person’s sense of unity and belonging to the state. Hence, given that the Mazar jihad is an issue that has the ability to bring about the aforementioned negative impact on the society, it becomes necessary for the state to curb the problem before it becomes deeply entrenched in the state.
Dhami Government in action mode
The present tweets posted by CM Dhami bolsters the commitment of the state administration to curb the issue. It establishes the fact that the state administration is aware of the seriousness of the potential negative impacts that can be witnessed by the state if the aforementioned problem is left unattended. The Dhami Administration has been vigilant of the issue and has been taking strict action against the issue of Mazar jihad in the last few months and by the recent tweet by the CM, it is observed that the administration has not forgotten the issue and is yet working to curb the rise of the Mazar Jihad.
The way forward
In order to control the setting in of the Mazar Jihad, a team can be formulated for the identification of areas that have been affected by the encroachment and where the illegally built Mazars are to be razed. The following steps can be adopted by the team during its functioning:
Identification: The areas that are housing the illegally built Mazars would be identified by the team in this step and the location would be physically visited and the land records would be checked for the confirmation of the illegality of the construction.
Compilation: In this step, the team is supposed to compile all the data possessed by them in the form of a list housing the information on the location of the confirmed illegal structures.
Transfer: Once all the relevant data has been compiled in the previous step, the team can transfer the compiled data to the CMO and the concerned local Municipalities for further action.
The aforementioned idea of team can ensure a directed effort towards the tackling of Mazar jihad.
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