Sambhal: Mosque, 80 houses face demolition as 'illegal' constructions

Authorities in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district have served notices to a mosque and around 80 residential structures alleged to have been illegally built on land earmarked for a pond in the Hatim Sarai area, under Sadar tehsil. The action follows findings that portions of the pond land were unlawfully sold by land mafia to unsuspecting individuals, according to officials.

Tehsildar Dhirendra Pratap Singh confirmed the development on Tuesday and said a 15-day deadline had been given to all parties involved to submit their responses.

“Fifteen-day notices have been issued to all parties involved. If no satisfactory response is received, bulldozers will be used to demolish all illegal constructions, including the mosque, if necessary,” Singh stated.

Officials reported that a large mosque was constructed on the disputed land approximately 12 to 13 years ago. When a revenue team recently inspected the site, no individual came forward to claim responsibility for the structure or identify themselves as its mutawalli (caretaker).

“When our revenue team visited the site, no one came forward to take responsibility for the construction or for being its mutawalli (caretaker). Therefore, a notice has been pasted on the mosque as well. If no proper reply is submitted within the notice period, demolition action will follow,” Singh said.

In preparation for enforcement, the administration has begun marking the allegedly encroached plots. “Today, red marks have been placed on around 30–40 such sites. Complete demarcation may take some more days,” Singh added.

Residents who have constructed homes on the pond land have been instructed to appear before the tehsil office and present documentation proving how the land was acquired. “They have been given an opportunity to explain, but if they fail to provide valid documents, action will be taken as per law,” the tehsildar said.

So far, authorities have not received any responses from the individuals or groups issued with notices, Singh confirmed. The matter is under active review, and further action will depend on the replies, if any, submitted within the allotted timeframe.

With PTI inputs