Cultural Organizations: Voice of Hindu Initiates Legal Battle to Regain Land

The cultural organization Voice of Hindu (VOH) is preparing to embark on a legal battle against the government for the return of a leased plot of land in the La-Vigie area. This land was granted to the association, Vijayi Om Hamara, in 2010 to facilitate religious and social activities for its members.

Navin Unnoop, a representative of VOH, shared that on March 20, 2016, the Ministry of Housing and Lands unilaterally informed them of the cancellation of the lease agreement without prior justification or consultation.

Unnoop emphasized that the association invested approximately Rs 12 million in the construction of a building and various infrastructures on the leased land.

He pointed out that the government has not provided any compensation for this significant investment.

VOH has made numerous attempts to resolve the matter through dialogue, holding meetings with several government ministers, including Steven Obeegadoo, Kavy Ramano, and Renganaden Padayachy.

However, Unnoop noted that these talks have not yielded satisfactory results.

The government also failed to offer an alternative piece of land to the association.

Unnoop expressed feelings of discrimination in this situation, stating, “The mother of a minister was able to secure state land initially designated for educational purposes, only to later change the intent and plan for a residential home.

In our case, we constructed a meditation center that is open to all Mauritians, yet we are being stripped of our land.”

While Unnoop affirmed that VOH members would not resort to protests, they are determined to pursue legal action.

The legal proceedings will be handled by Attorney Me Kaviraj Bokhoree.

Source: Le Mauricien