Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday carried out a demolition drive against an illegally constructed portion of a building in Kolar’s Sarvadharma B Sector, which included a temporary mosque on the terrace.
The action was conducted in the presence of over 15 municipal officials and 10 police personnel following complaints of encroachment.
According to officials, the building, located near Kalpana Chawla Ground on the left side after crossing the Kolar bridge, had unauthorised commercial activities running on its premises.
The structure, owned by Ismail Khan, housed a beauty parlour and other rented shops on the ground floor, while a small shed-like mosque had been constructed on the rooftop.
A BMC official said that a notice regarding the illegal structure was issued around four months ago, but no corrective steps were taken. The demolition began around noon and continued for nearly five hours, during which the front portion of the building and the rooftop mosque were removed using a bulldozer and two trucks.
Some locals clarified that the site was not a formal mosque but a temporary space where nearby shopkeepers occasionally offered namaz due to limited space in nearby mosques. They also alleged that the landlord had submitted documents to the corporation after receiving the notice, but no response came from the authorities.
The property owner, Ismail Khan, was reportedly not present during the action. While BMC maintains that the demolition was part of its ongoing drive against illegal constructions, affected tenants have demanded compensation for the financial damage caused by the operation.
Tenants expressed anger over the sudden demolition, claiming they did not know about the notice. “We opened our shop on June 10 and did not know about this issue. We’ve suffered losses of nearly Rs 1 lakh,” said a shopkeeper who had paid around Rs 70,000-Rs 80,000 in rent and deposits.
“The building was being used for commercial purposes in a residential area and also had an unauthorised religious structure. Action was taken as per municipal guidelines,” said BMC’s anti-encroachment official.
