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Apr 18 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai)`Need more space for cemeteries'Richa
PintoMumbai:TNNIf the omissions and commissions of the city's draft
Development Plan (DP) have got the living gnashing their teeth, the dead could
be turning in their graves as their final resting places are not guaranteed in
many areas.In a spooky move, the graveyard attached to the St.Michael's Church
at Mahim has been not been marked as such, but tagged as Commercial
Residential. It means the plot could later be claimed for development, maybe
even a housing complex.
In some other cases, even if the graveyards have been identified correctly in
the DP , they are threatened by proposals for road widening (Our Lady of
Perpetual Succour Church, Chembur). Still some others are marked for social
amenities. The city's Development Plan (DP) has changed the land use tag of
several graveyards attached to churches or shown roads passing through them.
The marking errors that make a mockery of the sanctity of the cemeteries have
community members aghast. They also feel it will make it difficult for them to
go for changes or restructuring of the plots in future.
Parishioners of the centuries-old Mahim church held a large public meeting on
Thursday to chalk up their action plan as the church, which has thousands
thronging it on Wednesdays, too has not been marked on the DP .“An advocate who
has studied the DP plan told us our graveyard and church has been marked as
Commercial and Residential (CR). We want it to be reinstated as a Christian
burial ground. We are planning to send in our objection letter on April 24
after getting it signed by several parishioners. Considering that the church is
several centuries old, the draft DP 2034 should have considered marking it and
also the burial ground,“ said Rita D'Sa, Mahim resident and vice president of
The Bombay Catholic Sabha. Advocate Godfrey Pimenta, who has been going to
parishes in Mumbai explaining the implications of the draft DP , said the Our
Lady of Health Church in Sahar, which has his mother's grave, is likely to be
affected by proposed road widening.
Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church at Mount Poinsur in Borivli, which has
a permanent graveyard on the church premises, will also be affected by proposed
road widening. Fr Barthol Barretto, the parish priest and trustee, said for a
parish of 20,000 and grow ing, they do not want to lose any space. “There is no
need for road widening as well considering that the adjoining road is not very
busy . In fact, in our objection letter, we have mentioned that when we
actually need more space for the graveyard as the existing place is not
sufficient, why do such things in the plan? Besides, the issue holds a lot of
sentimental value for us as well.“
Even Muslim cemeteries, claimed a corporator, are being neglected. Rais Shaikh,
Samajwadi Party leader, has written to the municipal commissioner demanding
exclusive reservation for Muslim cemeteries. “I have also demanded that the
minimum space for cemeteries be increased,“ said Shaikh.
NGO Watchdog Foundation in a complaint sent to the chief minister's office has
pointed out that the famous Mahim Dargah has been marked as an orphanage.
Officials tried to explain away the errors, saying they have decided not to
mark religious sites separately in the city's plan.
Mass protest at Azad Maidan
Citizens from across the city will come together on Saturday for Hamara Shehar
Vikas Niyojan Abhiyan Mumbai (Our City Development Plan Campaign, Mumbai) at
Azad Maidan at 12noon to protest against non-inclusion of multiple groups
(slums, urban villages, informal workers) in the DP and also the window of only
60 days for suggestions objections to a plan that took four years to make.
Later, suggestionobjection letters would be submitted en masse to the BMC.
NGOs too line up anti-DP dharna
Two NGOs--Affordable Housing Welfare Organization of India and Maharashtra
Societies Welfare Association--have planned a dharna at Azad Maidan on Monday
against the proposed Development Plan 2034 . Citing several lapses in the
drafts and the opposition to it, members of these organizations have said that,
a fresh DP and DCR should be prepared.
