ADB builds temple on private land despite court’s stay order

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 5

Asian Development Bank (ADB) seems to be getting into controversies for its developmental works in the city. While in one case the ADB that has the mandate to strengthen the civic infrastructure has constructed a temple instead of a community hall that too on a private land, in another people had to come on the streets to protest against the delay in laying a sewer pipeline in Dehradun. Interestingly, the temple was constructed despite a stay order granted by the SDM court in Dehradun against the construction of a proposed community hall on his private land.

Local resident Inderjeet Sharma owns the land at Kargi Grant in the Shimla bypass area on which the temple has been constructed. Sharma said he owns the land and the construction of a temple on his private land that too by the ADB authorities was strange and uncalled for.

Sharma said he owned the land in question for the past many years and the authorities concerned had mistakenly included it in municipal records. He had challenged the inclusion of the land in the municipal records and the lower court and subsequently the Nainital High Court gave decisions in his favour. The case of mutation, however, is in the court of the Sub Divisional Magistrate, Sadar.

ADB in the beginning of this year started the construction of the temple on his land. Though Sharma had got a stay order from the court of Sub Divisional Magistrate, Sadar, against the proposed community hall, the ADB authorities instead got a temple constructed.

ADB Deputy Programme Director in Dehradun Prabhat Ranjan claimed that the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) had provided the land. He referred to the events that followed the construction of the temple and said a temple was proposed to be demolished for laying a sewer line beneath it. “We, somehow, managed the sewer pipeline to go under the temple but the residents again opposed it stating the temple now was not fit for worship and sought its shifting,” Ranjan said. The present site thus was selected after talks between villagers and the Dehradun Municipal Corporation. “The temple was constructed on the land provided by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation and we have no role in the selection of the land,” he argued.

Sharma said he had submitted all papers related to the ownership of land to the Patelnagar police but they too took no action. He added it was difficult to understand how the Dehradun Municipal Corporation had allowed the construction of the temple on his land.

On the other hand, Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli said he was not aware about the Kargi Grant temple issue. He, however, assured that he would look into the matter.

Interestingly, in another case involving ADB, residents of the Brahamanwala held protests against undue delay in laying of a sewer pipeline in their area. They gheraoed two ADB officials on Friday alleging that roads in their area had been dug up since 2010 to lay a sewer pipeline but the work scheduled to be completed in 2012 was yet not completed. The ADB officials assured the residents that the work on the dug up roads would be completed in 15 days.