Hyderabad, INDIA, August 5, 2015 (Deccan Chronicle): Political backing for the expansion of religious structures on the city’s roads and pavements has become a major headache for the police department. Extensions of existing structures like dargahs (Islamic tomb), temples, chilla (Sufi), jhanda (Sikh) etc. might snowball into a law and order issue, but can be curbed if the problem is snipped in the bud, say cops.
“In the name of worship, some people are engaging in this kind of activities to establish dominance in an area. We do cooperate with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) whenever they ask us to, but the police department doesn’t have real powers to curb this menace,” said DCP, South Zone, V. Satyanarayana. Though halted for now, the expansions are not demolished and are causing a problem in the free flow of traffic. As per GHMC data, there are nearly 64 major structures encroaching on city’s roads and footpaths.