Opinion: 'By God, It's A Lucrative Business And Tax-Free Too'

By Pratap Singh Rathore (Guest Writer)

COMMENTARY Oh! A statue under another giant tree located at the busy crossroads. I noticed this while going for my morning walk and instantly knew that placing the statue would be followed by construction of walls and boundary, converting the place into a temple. I felt a strong impulse to pick up the statue and do its visarjan in a nearby river. The affection I had developed for the deity as a child forbade me, though I admit that this affection had a lot to do with the delicious and sumptuous prasadam I used to relish during the temple visits in childhood. 
We all have seen similar constructions on public lands in our neighbourhoods. If we were to count all such places in the country, we are sure to run into millions. In the Hindu pantheon there are 330 million gods and goddesses and as god-fearing devotees, we have to provide a home to each of them. That should not be a problem so long we do not encroach on public land for this purpose.

In the last few years, there has been mounting awareness against crony-capitalism and corruption. At the heart of all such scams is the scramble for natural resources such as land, mines and airwaves — land being the most contentious. But surprisingly, there is not much talk about the increased incidence of public land grabs in the name of building places of worship. 

In 2006, the Gujarat high court directed city corporations and local bodies in the state to demolish all places of worship built on illegally acquired public land. Demolition of a dargah in Vadodara led to widespread riots in several cities and towns, forcing the state government to turn to the army for restoring order and peace.

After such resistance from devotees, the Union government filed a petition in the Supreme Court in 2009 requesting for a stay on the Gujarat high court order. The apex court granted the stay but at the same time directed Union and state governments to ensure that no more places of worship were allowed to be constructed on public land, while existing structures were to be considered on a case-to-case basis for gradual removal. 

But from what we see around us, it is quite obvious that let alone removal of the existing structures, construction of new ones has been going on with impunity.From the proliferation of such houses of gods, it is evident that religious sentiments alone may not be the only motivation; they must be a source of revenue for persons or trusts that initiate and control them. And let us not forget that such a source of revenue is unaudited and comes without tax liability.

If it were mandated to display outside each place of worship whether the land has been legally acquired, mindful citizens may choose not to step into structures built on illegally acquired land and give offerings. Then we could expect most of these places to fall into disuse over a period of time. We have a large land mass but huge population too and within the next few years, India going to achieve the distinction of being the highest populated country in the world. 

Our population density, which is already high, is going to increase further, putting more pressure on land. This surely would make encroachment of public places, in the name of religion or otherwise, far more lucrative. Therefore, the State and the citizens have to be vigilant. This issue needs to be given due attention in the anti-corruption movement by the civil society.