ITANAGAR, 10 Apr: The Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) has appealed to the Tawang deputy commissioner to grant permission for resumption of the church construction work in Tawang by amicably solving the (church) land issue.
The construction of the church is on halt since 2019 after the district administration stopped the construction work, stating that the church was being constructed illegally on government land, ACF president Tarh Miri said.
Later, the government constituted a three-member committee to find a solution to the issue. The committee, headed by Sports Minister Mama Natung, had recommended relocating the church to some other place, Miri said.
Thereafter, the Arunachal Christian Revival Church Council had applied for land allotment. Accordingly, the then Tawang DC had recommended the matter to the then land management minister/department, and since then the matter is still pending at the government level, Miri said.
“The fabric of secularism under the Indian Constitution should be maintained under your good governance in the district by showing your good heart for Christian community of your district,” the ACF said in a representation to the Tawang DC.
“On 29 June, 2022, Chief Minister Pema Khandu had stated that the ‘land matters will be decided by DC as per the prevailing land laws’,” the ACF leader said in the representation, a copy of which was also submitted to the chief minister on Monday.
