Illegal mazar demolished at Sambhal lake site

Sambhal: The Sambhal district administration carried out an anti-encroachment drive in Sirsi town on Saturday, demolishing an illegally constructed mazar located in a lake area under the jurisdiction of the Hazrat Nagar Garhi police station.Officials stated that the land, recorded as a lake in govt records, spans nearly 11.495 hectares (around 180 bighas). Authorities confirmed that the entire area has now been cleared of illegal occupation.The action was taken as part of a special campaign launched by the district administration following directions from the newly appointed district magistrate Ankit Khandelwal to remove encroachments from ponds, lakes and other public land to restore water bodies for groundwater conservation.According to revenue officials, portions of the lake land had previously been encroached upon by local farmers. After the administration initiated proceedings to clear the occupied land, fresh attempts were allegedly made to reclaim the area. During this time, an illegal structure identified as the Sher Ali Baba Pir Mazar was constructed on nearly 23 square metres of the lake land.Officials said proceedings were initiated in the Tehsildar court in 2024. During the legal process, the caretaker of the shrine passed away, and no objections or claims were submitted despite public notices issued by the administration. Following the completion of the proceedings, the court passed formal eviction orders.Acting on the court’s directions, revenue officials, assisted by police personnel, used bulldozers to demolish the structure and remove the encroachment. The demolition and eviction drive continued for nearly three hours under heavy police security.Tehsildar Dhirendra Kumar Singh and naib tehsildar Deepak Kumar Jurail supervised the operation alongside the revenue team, while police personnel from the Hazrat Nagar Garhi police station remained deployed to maintain law and order. A large crowd gathered at the site during the operation, but police restricted public movement near the demolition area.“The administration will now begin restoration and beautification work at the lake site, as directed by the district magistrate,” said tehsildar Dhirendra Kumar Singh.SP Krishna Kumar Vishnoi stated that the district administration and police are jointly conducting a continuous campaign against illegal encroachments. He added that more than 100 hectares of land have already been freed from encroachments across the district.