SHILLONG, Sept 2 (PTI) � Seven churches, built on encroached government land in Meghalaya, have been regularised and the occupied land handed over to the local church committees in the wake of uproar from some quarters that the government was playing with religious sentiments.
Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Goyal today said that instructions were given to the urban planning officials only to regularise the church buildings built on government land and to hand over the land to the respective church committees.
Rebuking �mischief mongers� for spreading unwanted rumours on communal lines, Goyal said that the issue was specifically clarified to the leaders and members of the church and other NGOs.
Opposition NCP yesterday slammed the government for initiating an exercise to verify the authenticity of structures. Opposition leader Conrad Sangma had accused the administration of playing with religious sentiments.
In a recent communiqu� to urban planning officials, the district administration of West Garo Hills sought an �on spot inspection and verification of six unauthorized churches in the district�.
The administration sought details like year of construction, area occupied, area encroached, etc., of the churches, mostly located in Tura and Dakupgre.
