GORAKHPUR: The management committee of a mosque near the Ghosh Company Chauraha here on Saturday started pulling down the top two floors which the Gorakhpur Development Authority (GDA) said were unauthorised construction.The mosque committee began the demolition on Saturday morning, employing 15 labourers and bulldozers.This followed the expiration of a 15-day GDA ultimatum warning of forced demolition if compliance was not met.The GDA cited the lack of an approved construction plan as the reason for its directive.Mosque committee head Shoeb Ahmad has contested the GDA’s claim.”This mosque was built with the consent of the municipal board after the original structure was removed in January 2024. The land was allotted to us, yet the GDA is now terming it illegal,” he said.Ahmad said the mosque is situated on a 520 sq ft plot legally designated for religious purposes.However, the GDA maintains that construction regulations were violated.GDA Vice Chairman Anand Vardhan said, “The issue is not about the land ownership but unauthorised construction. Without an approved map, notices and actions are inevitable.”
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