By News Desk
Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district administration on Saturday, January 11 executed a demolition drive in Nizamuddin Colony removing 250 houses and structures, including the Masjid Takiya to facilitate the expansion of the Mahakal Temple Corridor Project.
The demolition focused on about 257 permanent structures that were built across two and a half-hectare land to signify a large-scale urban regeneration project. The local administration has reportedly compensated the affected residents to the tune of Rs 33 crore in the past to pave the way for this large-scale infrastructural initiative.
The primary purpose of the demolition is to provide additional space to enhance the temple amenities, including designing and building parking lots and Pravachan Hall. The operation is also aimed at the anticipated 2028 Ujjain Simhastha (Kumbh) event for which extensive urban process functioning is pending.
The demolition process was carried out with the help of bulldozers and porcelain machines under the supervision of the additional district collector Anukul Jain and the additional SP Nitesh Bhargava.
Local authorities mobilized a huge police force to ensure the demolition proceeded smoothly and maintained law and order. The administration had reportedly notified residents before the drive operation, allowing them some time to prepare for the displacement.
“Out of the 257 permanent structures, barring 17-18, all (among them a religious structure) will be removed, as the land acquisition process has been duly fulfilled by making payment of Rs 33 crores to the residents there. Those structures, whose owners or occupants have got stay from the Court, however, will not be touched,” Ujjain district collector Neeraj Singh was quoted by The Indian Express.
This story was originally published in siasat.com.
