General secretary of the gurudwara Sardar Gurdayal Singh told Express Newsline that the shrine was built in 1968. ``We have all the papers showing that the land is registered in the name of the gurudwara,'' he maintained. The commissioner, however, differs. ``I have had over ten meetings with the gurudwara's office-bearers and visited the shrine more than five times, but they have been unable to produce any papers validating their stand,'' he said. ``The gurudwara is built on a plot reserved for the Post & Telegraph Department under theDevelopment Plan as early as 1964,'' he informed. ``When over 3,000 owners of illegal structures, including temples and mosques, have willingly come forward to co-operate, I don't see why the gurudwara alone has a problem,'' he said.

Gurudayal Singh said he took strong exception to the gurudwara being called illegal because ``it hurts our religious sentiments.'' He has suggested a compromise: the gurudwara be allowed access to the adjoining vacant plot before the Sikhs agree to demolish the outer wall and the steps on their own.

Chandrashekhar has refused to accept such a solution. ``How can I decide on a matter outside my jurisdiction?'' he asked, adding, ``The land belongs to the P&T department, which is under the Central government. So it is up to it to decide.'' The TMC's work is accordingly nearing completion on both sides of the gurudwara.

Meanwhile, local residents have pitted their might with Chandrashekhar. ``Since it's a matter affecting the entire Kopri area, we will certainly support thecommissioner, who has brought hope for Thanekars after so many years,'' said Milling Carmaker, a resident of the area. His wife Tweet said: ``The gurudwara office-bearers should remember that if they can take a morcha to TMC, residents can also take a morcha to the gurudwara.''