Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Four days after 36 lives were lost when the bawdi at Beleshwar MahadevJhulelal temple complex in Patel Nagar area collapsed, the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) on Monday filled up the bawdi and removed the idols from the temple. The IMC also removed encroachments from three other wells in the city.
IMC removal squad removed all encroachments from about 10,000 square feet of land around the temple premises. The temple priest who was present said all the rituals were followed before removing the idols and putting them in the Kantafod temple.
"The IMC had ordered the trust to remove the illegal construction at the temple complex, but the trust did not obey the order," the priest added.
Around 200 IMC employees, officers and a heavy police force were present on the spot since the morning to remove the illegal structure of the temple constructed by encroaching on the garden land of Sneh Nagar locality. The police barricaded the entire area and JCBs, bulldozers and dumpers were used for demolition.
IMC additional commissioner, Siddharth Jain said, "The old temple and the under-construction new temple and other illegal constructions have been demolished and the debris used to fill up the bawdi. We will do the levelling work later.”
ACTION AT DHAKKANWALA KUAN
Apart from this, the illegal constructions on stepwells at other places in the city were also removed. A structure made at a well at Dhakkanwala Kuan was also removed. Officials said that there is a lot of traffic flow, including buses on this route. Keeping this in view, action was taken to remove the encroachment from the well.
ENCROACHMENT OVER WELL IN SUKHLIYA REMOVED
In the Sukhliya area, a well had been encroached by putting a slab on it. The encroachment was removed, and the IMC covered the well with a iron grill.
RESIDENTS REMOVE ENCROACHMENT
In Gadra Kheri, Qila Maidan Road, residents removed a slab placed on a well on the footpath on their own. They also constructed a wall around the well and placed a grill on it.
PROTEST AGAINST DEMOLITION DRIVE
Bajrang Dal workers had come to protest against the removal of the Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple. Some locals also reached there to protest, but the police convinced them to stop their protest.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) Abhinav Vishwakarma said, "100 policemen were deployed from nearby police stations. Bajrang Dal workers and local people came to protest but there was no hindrance in the demolition action. The structures were removed peacefully."
12 injured discharged, treatment of 6 still on
According to information, around 12 people injured in the incident have been discharged from the hospital while six people are still being treated.
A case of culpable homicide has been registered against Murli Sabnani, the secretary of the temple trust, who also got injured in the accident. His left knee was operated on Saturday. He is out of danger. A case had also been registered against trust president Sevaram Galani under the same sections.
VIDEO OF SCENE BEFORE BAWDI COLLAPSE GOES VIRAL
A video showing people performing havan and other rituals a little while before the bawdi collapsed has gone viral in the social media. The video has been made by one of the devotees sitting there.
