nagpur the development control rules dcr of nagpur municipal corporation nmc and nagpur improvement trust nit allow construction of any religious structure on public utility pu land however it prohibits construction of temples buddha vihars or mosques on open spacesbesides the pu land a citizen can also construct religious structure on ones independent plot too said a senior officer from the nmcs town planning departmentgiven the ongoing protest over demolition of religious structures on roads footpaths open spaces and public utility lands toi tried to find out the procedure if one intends to construct a temple or mosque in the cityas per dcr no religious structure is allowed on open spaces referring to dcr the official said a builder or the society can use the open space for constructing a twostoried structure with maximum 15 builtup area of which 10 builtup area should be allowed on ground floor and remaining 5 can be constructed on the first floorhowever this construction cannot be used for any religious activities and should only be used for the purpose of pavilion or gymnasia or club house or vipassana yoga centre and other structures for the purpose of sports and recreation activity may be permittedsuch structure should not be used for any other purpose except for recreational activity for which a security deposit as decided by the commissioner or chairman will have to be paid to the nmc or nit the remaining areas of the recreational open space for playground should be kept open to sky and property accessible to all members as a place of recreation garden or a playground no construction is allowed in green belt zonein public utility space the dcr allows to use the area for various purposes like preprimary primary schools high schools colleges educational complex hospital dispensary maternity homes health centre complex of such uses veterinary hospital ngo or charitable trustowned old age home and orphanage public institutions such as libraries research centres training centres post office museums art galleries exhibition halls auditoriums it however also allows using the space for cultural and or any religious institutions the officer said he also explained that usage of religious institutions include construction of any temple or mosque too the religious structures can also be constructed on independent plot too besides clear title utility space or independent plot in both the conditions one need to obtain no objection certificates from concerned police authority and collector before applying for permission said the officialapart from construction plan sanction from concerned government agencies no objection certificate from fire department is also required at least 1020 feet space should be kept free along such a religious structure the dcr saidabout the sanction fees the official said the sanctioning charge is between rs100 and rs125 per square feet for religious constructiona senior official from nmcs fire and emergency services department pointed out as temples come under the category of assembly place it also need to have firefighting system in place according to him a temple with a