Within two days of issuing a notice seeking public response on the removal of Sunehri Masjid, the New Delhi Municipal Council has received hundreds of emails and messages on X (formerly Twitter) urging it not to go ahead with the demolition of the 150-year-old mosque.
The notice, issued by the NDMC’s Department of Architecture and Environment on December 24, seeks objections and suggestions from the public till January 1 on the removal of the heritage building located near the roundabout at the Central Secretariat.
A senior civic body official said the NDMC had received nearly 200 emails from the city residents, mostly urging it not to go ahead with the proposed demolition.
The official said the civic body issued the notice on the basis of a notification by Delhi Traffic Police stating that the mosque creates traffic snarls in the area, especially on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Abdul Aziz, the imam of Sunehri Masjid, said four generations of his family have taken care of the mosque.
Mr. Aziz said he had not received any notice regarding the issue.
He added that the mosque’s managing committee has not decided whether to take the matter to court and said the committee members are hopeful that the structure will not be demolished.
The mosque is not built on encroached space. It has been here for generations, and it does not cause any traffic snarls whatsoever,” the imam said.
Recently, the Delhi High Court disposed of a petition by the Delhi Waqf Board filed in anticipation of the mosque’s demolition after the NDMC said the petitioner had “no reason to harbour such an apprehension”.
An incorrect image accompanying this article has been removed.
