RAWALPINDI: The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) is yet to complete an inquiry into encroachments on Kali Mata temple land by traders of Moti Bazaar and has decided to visit the site after Eid.

A senior ETPB official told Dawn that 20 marlas owned by the temple was being encroached on by traders by setting up shops and the main temple room had been sealed.

He said locals had informed ETPB when the traders tried to raze down a part of the temple spire for the construction of shops on the upper floor.

He said renting out a portion of the building to shopkeepers was due to ETPB negligence as the property could be used for residential purposes and not commercial activities.

He said the inquiry would also look into the involvement of officials in renting out the property in the past.

The building was a private school till 1982 after which local traders got its possession from the school owners to which ETPB had not objected, he said.

“Though no major changes were made to the old structure, the ETPB team will visit the site with the revenue department officials,” he said.

Revenue department officials are busy in Ramazan bazaars and will be able to conduct the inquiry after Eid holidays, he said.

“A formal request was made to the deputy commissioner in this regard,” he said.

A district administration official, on the other hand, said the initial inquiry would be made by ETPB officials after which the revenue department officials would visit to check administration records.

He said no formal requests had been made to the district administration for the demarcation of the land and that the demarcation would have to be conducted in the presence of ETPB officials and locals.

A local of the area, Jag Mohan Arora, said the ETPB had leased out the building without consulting the local Hindu community.

He said the Swami Narayan Temple and the Shamshan Ghat in the city area were also examples of this and that ETPB had been contacted in the past but it had not responded appropriately, resulting in massive encroachments on the land of the temples.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2018