Authorities in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, intervened on Sunday to stop the construction of a mosque after part of a government-owned pond leased for fish farming was filled to expand the mosque. Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Tripti Gupta, along with police officials, inspected the site following a complaint by a Hindutva organisation. The mosque management committee agreed to demolish the encroached structure after being warned of legal action.
According to the authorities, the mosque committee removed 60% of the illegal encroachment manually, with the remaining work scheduled for completion on Tuesday. The pond, located next to the mosque, had been leased to Shehla Begum for ten years for fish farming.
The mosque management said the encroachment was unintentional, as they were unaware of the pond’s boundaries.
During the inspection, it was also found that 12 other houses had encroached upon the pond’s banks, as per the authorities. These residents were warned to remove their illegal expansions. To prevent communal tensions during the demolition, additional security forces were deployed.
SDM Gupta stated that all encroachments on the pond and other government lands would be removed, with strict action to follow once proper measurements were taken. However, officials noted that measuring the pond was currently difficult due to water levels.
Meanwhile, the Bareilly Development Authority (BDA) announced plans to use drone technology to monitor illegal constructions more effectively. On Monday, BDA Vice President Manikandan A and Secretary Yogendra Kumar reviewed presentations on drone-based monitoring systems to ensure transparency and prevent “unauthorized developments” across the city.
