18:08
The Railways has pasted a legal notice at the Ganj Shaheeda mosque located near the main entrance of Kashi railway station, asking occupants to vacate the premises by June 20, officials said on Tuesday.
The notice has been issued as part of the process to remove encroachments from railway land for the expansion and proposed construction works under the Kashi railway station redevelopment project, station superintendent Arpit Gupta said.
Gupta said railway authorities and the district administration had earlier carried out encroachment removal drives around Kashi railway station and identified various structures on railway land for necessary action.
"Expansion of Kashi Railway Station and the proposed development works require the railway land to be made encroachment-free. Accordingly, different locations have been identified and action is being taken as per legal procedure," he said.
The move comes after a similar action on June 3, when the Azgaib Shaheed Mazar and a mosque located within the railway station premises were demolished amid heavy security deployment following a court order in a land ownership dispute.
Officials had then said that during a survey carried out for the Kashi Model Railway Station project, the structures were found to be situated on railway land and notices were issued to vacate the premises. After the matter reached court, demolition proceedings were initiated following the verdict, they said.
The railway administration has maintained that the action is part of the station redevelopment plan and encroachment removal exercise, while ensuring that all steps are being taken under the legal process. -- PTI
