Feature
Order for demolition of 200 temples issued in city of Ram temple Ayodhya
Lucknow: There is clash between two community people Hindus and Muslims over construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya on disputed Babri Masjid site that was devastated many years ago but on other hand the Muncipal Corporation of temple town has issued notice of demolition to about 200 old structures of temple.
The Ayodhya city Municipal Corporation has finally issued notice for restoration or demolition of very old and dilapidated building, including temples, to their owners and managements, sparking a furor among locals and seers.
There are about 200 temples in Ayodhya that are weak and unsafe and pose a threat to public safety. The corporation has served the final notice to 173 old structures most of them being temples, part of temples, dharamshalas and shelter homes for devotees.
The corporation has asked the owners and managements to repair the unsafe structures or else it will demolish them and recover demolition charges from them as per rules.
Talking to media persons the additional municipal commissioner, Sachchidanand Singh said that “We have issued notices to unsafe buildings on the verge of collapsing. Our list has 173 buildings, including temples.
“Some people have sought time for repairs while six residential buildings have already been demolished by us. We are reviewing each case and will take action after 15 days.”
Fighting for construction of one Mandir-Masjid, order issued to demolish 200 temples:
The Assistant municipal commissioner of corporation Vinay Mani Tripathi said, “We have given final notices to all concerned persons and have issued documents on December 6 also given 15 days’ time to take action in this regards else action will be taken.”
Interestingly, the chief priest of Ramjanmabhoomi temple Acharya Satyendra Das said, “The state government should repair the ancient temples which have become unsafe.”
The member of Matiya Mandir committee, Ram Chandra said, “This temple is about 500 years old and has idols of Lord Ram and Hanuman. We don’t have money for its maintenance. Demolishing such an ancient temple won’t be a good decision. The government must extend some help.”
Caretaker of City based Patthar Mandir in Vasudev Ghat, Ram Sajivan Das said, “As per our knowledge, this temple is 400-500 years old. The government should help save our heritage.”
The Mahant of Saryu Kunj temple, Jugal Kishore Sharan Shastry said “You can find 200 temples in Ayodhya which are on verge of collapse.” “Whether the structures are protected or not, they are a part of the heritage ecosystem of the temple town.”
Retired assistant superintendent archaeological engineer ASI, M A Khan said that “Therefore, municipal body must take help of agencies like state archaeology or Archaeological Survey of India before going ahead with demolition.”
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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