GHAZIABAD: The sealing of the Haj House in Ghaziabad on Tuesday elicited sharp reactions from Muslim organisations and Opposition parties that accused the BJP government in the state of playing communal politics.The Muslim organisations questioned why the complex was sealed by the state government, which owns the property, instead of ensuring that a sewage treatment plant was installed on the premises as per the requirements of the UPPCB.Khalid Rasheed, a member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said: “The building is a government property that was constructed by the Haj committee, which is a statutory body. It was built with money from the state exchequer and with the provision to provide lodging and accommodation to Haj pilgrims. If there are any shortcomings in the project, the Haj committee must see to it that they are addressed before the annual pilgrimage to Mecca begins this July. Haj pilgrims who stayed at the complex after its inauguration had indeed faced problems inside.”The Haj House was constructed at a cost of Rs 51 crore. Its foundation stone had been laid by Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav in March 2005, when he was the chief minister of UP. Mulayam’s son Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated the building in September 2016, when he was the chief minister of UP.“In UP, there are a number of government buildings and private institutions that do not comply with environmental norms. It comes as no surprise that this government has targeted the Haj House alone for violating pollution control standards. If pollution control norms were not followed, why is the government reluctant now to punish the officials for non-compliance? Disciplinary action should be taken against all officials who were in charge of the construction and the contractor who executed the project,” said Navaid Hamid, the president, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat.Opposition parties said the move by the BJP government threatened the social and democratic fabric of the country.“The values of the SP were different from those followed by the ruling party now. Our government had constructed the complex keeping in mind the religious values of different sections of the society. If this government had followed the same values, it would have taken necessary corrective measures to ensure compliance with pollution norms instead of sealing the building,” SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said.The Congress echoed the SP on the issue. “If there were violation of norms during the construction, the state government should have penalised the officials responsible for it. The structure had been constructed by the UP government and it is its duty to protect it as well. The shortcomings in pollution control standards should have been addressed by the state long back,” said Naseeb Singh, the in charge of western UP Congress Committee.Executive officer and Haj secretary Vineet Srivastava said the NGT order had been received at the Haj House on Monday evening.“The building has not been handed over to us as yet by the construction and design services department but whatever steps need to be taken for getting the plant set-up will be taken and expedited,” he added.Mohsin Raza, the state minister for Haj and Waqf, said the green tribunal case was a long-drawn one.“The matter concerns the environment ministry and National Green Tribunal, so no interference can be made in the order. A detailed report will be sought on Wednesday and then things will be more clear on what steps can be taken,” he added.The former minister for minority welfare, Azam Khan, under whose tenure the Haj House was set up, was unavailable for comments on the sealing.

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