Owaisi writes to Delhi civic body over mosque's proposed removal

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday wrote to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) opposing the proposal to remove Sunehri Bagh's Sunehri Masjid from the list of heritage buildings by the national capital's civic body.

In his letter, the AIMIM leader said, "The masjid was consciously incorporated at the time of planning the new city. Moreover, its historic and architectural significance is unparalleled. Its proposed removal would be an irredeemable loss to India's heritage."

"It is not only unfortunate but astounding that the Council thinks that a mosque that has been functioning for the past 200 years is an "obstruction." It is also unfortunate that the Council has ignored its own duty to conserve the heritage and beauty of the capital city," reads the letter.

The Delhi civic body has sought public opinion on the mosque’s proposed removal. In a notice issued on Sunday, NDMC invited citizens’ objections and suggestions on the matter by January 1.

Owaisi has appealed to the NDMC to take back the proposed order. He also said that the mosque is a waqf property and that it can't be removed through a "mere" decision of the Heritage Committee.

"Waqf properties cannot be sold, leased, or alienated under the Waqf Act 1995. Most importantly, the sections of the NDMC Act, 1994 that were referred to in the public notice are irrelevant to the issue at hand. Sections 202 and 207 refer to the vesting of public streets in the NDMC and the power to regulate traffic on such public streets," Owasi said.

"Similarly, sections 11(n) and 11(p) refer to the duty of the Council to maintain public streets and to remove obstructions from such streets," he added.

The mosque, which stands on a roundabout in central Delhi, has been proposed to be removed on grounds of traffic snarls in the area.

Criticising the city's civic body and traffic police, Owaisi also said, "Neither the NDMC nor Delhi Traffic Police have provided any data on why the masjid must be removed. Neither has it been explained why "sustainable mobility" can only be achieved through the removal of the masjid and not through actual sustainable measures such as signalised crossings, traffic diversions and provision of alternate routes."