Sambhal,

02 Jan (HS): The district administration issued notifications to 48 persons on

Friday in connection with suspected illegal encroachment of cemetery ground near

a contentious religious site.The move follows a land measurement exercise

carried out under strong security on December 30 near the Shahi Jama

Masjid-Shri Harihar Mandir region in Kot Purvi. The authorities had received

complaints regarding illegally built dwellings and stores on a part of the

cemetery grounds. According to Tehsildar Dhirendra Pratap Singh, 48 illegal

occupiers were handed notifications on Friday. Singh informed reporters that

they have been given 15 days to respond. He went on to say that the responses

will be legally examined.

If

the reasons are insufficient, the administration will take steps to remove the

encroachments. In response to questions concerning the number of unlawful

buildings, the tehsildar stated that, while initial records indicated 22

dwellings and stores, additional families were discovered to be living in the

area. As a result, each resident received a unique notification, totaling 48.

According

to the officials, the complaint claimed that around 4,780 square metres of land

under plot number 32/2, which is close to the contested property, had been

encroached upon. The

encroachments are thought to be 60-65 years old. The revenue agency carried out

the measurement operation to assess the scope of the suspected unlawful

occupancy, according to authorities.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi