Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Feb 10: Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner, Subodh Yadav, said that a total of 96 unauthorized religious centres have been identified in the district, and that 33 of them have already been vacated. Speaking after presiding over the progress review meeting on the issue held on Wednesday February 9, he advised the sub-divisional officers of Mangalore and Puttur to clear the remaining centres too, for the benefit of the general public.

Observing that 15 religious buildings have not been creating any problems for the people, he asked the officials to take steps to regularize them. He clarified that even in cases where suits are pending in courts relating to unauthorized religious structures, they can be cleared by employing discretion.

At the meeting of revenue officials conducted on the issue of clearing encroachments of government lands in the district on Wednesday, Yadav said that out of 5,63,000 acres of government land in the district, 1,96,000 acres have been encroached upon by individuals. He said that construction of permanent buildings and conducting agricultural activities in Kumki lands (government land with trees and plants coming under forest department, adjacent to forests) is forbidden. He said that people are only permitted to use the leaves etc, from the trees in such lands for agriculture, and they can not till this land.

He has asked all the tahsildars and village accountants to prepare a list of encroachers and also details of encroachments that have been regularized during the last two decades.