Gujarat govt razes houses, 150 huts to free encroached Somnath temple land

A mega anti-encroachment drive was undertaken to clear around 3 hectares of land behind Somnath temple in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district that belonged to the temple trust and state government, officials said on Saturday.

As many as 21 houses and 153 huts that had unauthorisedly come up were being demolished to clear the land belonging to Shree Somnath Trust, which manages the activities of the revered Somnath temple, and the state government, said Collector Harji Vadhvaniya.

The mega demolition drive began Saturday morning in the presence of five mamlatdars' and around 100 revenue officials, Vadhvaniya said. Heavy police presence was also maintained to ensure that it went off peacefully, he said.

The land, which measures 3 hectares (7.4 acres), will be cleared of encroachment and fenced as per a circular issued by the state revenue department, he said.

Somnath temple is located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval town along the coast of the Arabian Sea.

It is believed to be the first among the 12 jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva and is an important pilgrim site and a tourist spot.

We are working to remove unauthorised residential encroachment as per the circular issued by the revenue department and secure it with fencing. Before the exercise, we had called for a meeting with the representatives of the encroachers on January 25 to explain to them the entire process, the collector said.

He said that the administration has ensured the availability of tractors and labourers to help the encroachers remove their household items and arrangements have been made to provide them food packets.

There was encroachment in two pockets 21 constructions on 700 square metres of land, and 153 constructions on 3 hectares of land, he told media persons.

Gir Somnath district Superintendent of Police Manoharsinh Jadeja said that a large number of policemen have been deployed to ensure that the drive goes smoothly.

The drive is expected to be completed by the evening, officials said.

"The land belongs to the government and temple trust. Two SRP (State Reserve Police) companies and 500 police personnel are deployed here. We have sealed the entry and exit of the area. To meet emergencies, firefighters, teams of Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Quick Response Team (QRT) have been kept on standby, he said.