Illegal construction in Akshardham (Times of India 20 January 2011)

NEW DELHI: Despite orders banning any new construction on the Yamuna riverbed, fresh construction has been reported from within the premises of Akshardham Temple. After a part of it was found to be illegal, the temple was served a showcause notice by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Wednesday evening. According to the land agency, it has asked the temple authorities to explain on February 7 why the illegal portion should not be demolished. "We had recently received reports that there was some construction taking place in Akshardham Temple. When we went to inspect the site earlier this week, we were not allowed to do so. On our second visit, on Tuesday, when we finally surveyed the area, we found that while a portion of the construction was as per the approved plans, the remaining was found to be illegal. We have served a showcause notice to the temple authorities on Wednesday. They have been asked to appear for a hearing on February 7 to explain why the illegal portion should not be demolished," said DDA spokesperson Neemo Dhar. The illegal portion seems to be a shed, according to DDA officials. The land agency further stated that if it does not find the reply of the temple authorities to be satisfactory it will serve a notice for sealing/demolition. "The time period to carry out such action varies from case to case,'' added Dhar. Meanwhile, temple authorities claimed they are in the process of bringing down the structure. "We received a notice from DDA on Wednesday evening. The illegal portion that DDA is referring to is a semi-pucca structure made for public utilities which is right behind our assembly hall. We are looking into the matter,'' said J M Dave, chief public officer, Akshardham Temple. Construction on the temple started in 2000 after land was acquired from the DDA and UP irrigation department. In 2003, UP State Employees Association went to the SC challenging the construction on grounds of environment violations. But the court rejected the petition since petitioners could not rebut DDA's claims of ownership of land. However, an embankment was created to ensure that loopholes in the system were also plugged. In a bid to stop any more unauthorized constructions on the riverbed, the L-G had passed a moratorium on further construction on the Yamuna riverbed in early 2008, bringing an early end to several projects that had been planned and some that were already underway. The only exceptions were the Metro depot and the Games Village. Six months down the line, DDA also classified the riverbed as zone 'O' in its master plan, the objective of which was to augment water supply, contain pollution and have eco-friendly green development. THERE IS more to Malegaon than just bomb blasts. The place is slowly making a name for itself among movie buffs, thanks to ' Mollywood' -- its indigenous film industry. Far from the lavish excesses of Bollywood, the town has developed an industry that churns out low- budget entertainers -- mostly spoofs -- that cater primarily to Malegaon's residents. Mollywood's seeds were sown sown v.A past participle of sow1.Adj. 1. sown - sprinkled with seed; "a seeded lawn"seededplanted - set in the soil for growth way back in 1998, when Shaikh Nasir -- who ran a video parlour in the town at the time -- came up with the idea of remaking Ramesh Sippy's cult blockbuster, Sholay, in a Malegaon setting. Nasir called his film Malegaon Ke Sholay. The film was made on a shoestring budget of ` 50,000 but went on to earn profits of over ` 2 lakh lakhNoun(in India) 100 000, esp. referring to this sum of rupees [Hindi lākh]Noun 1. lakh - the cardinal number that is the fifth power of ten100000, hundred thousand .