URGENT PRESS STATEMENT
DELEGATION MEETS MR. JULIO REBEIRO, FORMER AMBASSADOR AND POLICE COMMISSIONER
OF MUMBAI WHO HAS PROMISED TO TAKE UP THE FOLLOWING ISSUES WITH THE CHIEF
MINISTER, MAHARASTHRA AND THE MUNICIPAL COMMISSIONER, MUMBAI
1. Acquisition notice for Church lands/school ground/cemetery of Our Lady of
Assumption Church, Kandivali West
2. Acquisition notice for Church lands/school ground of St. Anthony's
Church, Malvani, Malad West
3. Cemetry on the East side of the Western Surburbs
A delegation met with Mr. Julio Rebeiro today, November 5, to discuss the three
important issues listed above.
Among the members of the delegation were Fr. Gerald Fernandes, Parish Priest &
Fr. Byron Mendonca, Asst. Parish Priest of Our Lady of Assumption Church, M.G.
Road, Kandivali West, Mr. Prashanth Pereira and Mr. Lennon Miranda, Youth
Co-ordinators, Kandivali Parish, Fr. Austin Norris, Parish Priest and Adv.
Ralston Fernandes, St Anthony's Church, Malad West , Mr. Gordon Dsouza,
President- The Bombay Catholic Sabha and Mr. Dolphy D'souza, Spokesperson- Save
our Land- Committee, [SOUL]
Mr. Julio Rebeiro gave the delegation a patient hearing and has promised that
he would take up the matters both with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and
the Municipal Commissioner.
The issues are listed below:
1. Our Lady of Assumption Church and St Joseph's School, Kandivali West
The 450 year old Church and its premises of Our Lady of the Assumption, M.G.
Road, and St. Joseph's School [having a history exceeding 110 years] have been
issued an acquisition notice to surrender parts of the cemetery, school ground
and the Church for the purpose of widening the Poisar River which has now
become a stinking gutter.
The core of the Brimstowad Project is that the storm water flows clearly in the
sea. And instead of addressing this issue the BMC wants to waste the tax payers
money by demolishing structures to widen the passage of the nulla. Instead,
they can save the money of the common man by de-silting the nulla, deepening
and preventing garbage/ debris from being dumped, a much easier task.
A plan was drawn up in 2008 to prevent flooding in Mumbai. Despite that BMC has
approved constructions at the border of the nulla at numerous sites only
recently.
We stand to lose hundreds of the graves of our ancestors. The Children
numbering over 1700 lose a playground.
Also when the new church was constructed couple of years ago the BMC insisted
that certain areas be kept free for fire brigade movement and other
regulations. Now the BMC is stating that they can over look the same.
2. St Anthonys Church at Malvani, Malad West.
The BMC authorities issued notice of acquisition of parts of St. Anthony's
Church, Malvani, Malad West, for road widening.
The Mumbai Municipal Corporation has itself approved the proposal for listing
and including St. Anthony's Church with a grading of Grade II (A) in the
recently published proposed heritage list. However they are bent on acquiring a
structure built in 1872.
The BMC has called upon the Church to hand over its alleged open plot which is
not at all open as the same consists of:
a) The compound wall
b) The structure in existence from 1872 which houses the blessed sacrament, the
priests associated with the Parish, the Church Office and meeting place for
parishioners c) Grotto of St. Anthony, the Patron Saint of the Church
Here are the questions we have posed to the BMC:
a) Is the Corporation entitled in Law to widen the road, whereby Grade II (A)
heritage structures are bound to be destroyed permanently?
b) Is the Corporation working for the benefit of the common citizens or is it
colluding with builders for the future development of the area, even when the
entire area beyond Malvani Church is a 'No Development Zone' and is a sparsely
populated area?
c) INS HAMLA, a highly protected training base for the Indian Navy, has
always objected to the development of the area from the national security
perspective. Is the Corporation trying to jeopardize the security of the nation
in any manner by the proposed development?
3) We state that wherever the roads have been widened by the Corporation, the
said roads have been usurped by illegal parking, hawkers, and commercial
establishment like in the case of Kharodi slope, location much before the
Church.
4) It is our humble request that you do not destroy the structures itself
proposed and notified by you in the List of Heritage structures until an unless
our objections both to the listing of Heritage structure be heard and dealt
with by the concerned authority and until our objections pertaining to the
issue of road widening and re-alignment h are heard and dealt with in positive
direction and in the right perspective.
While they want the church land for road widening they have allowed
constructions of residential/commercial premises as late as 2001.
3. Cemetery on the East side of the Western Suburbs
In 1996, land was allotted for a composite cemetery in Kandivali East. But
owing to the alleged negligence of the BMC in not constructing the designated
boundaries, this land was encroached upon. From 2003, the United Christian
Community Centre has been agitating on this issue. Everyone including
politicians promise but when it comes to implementation they go into a coma.
We are asking for land since 1996 which the BMC cannot provide. Meanwhile, the
BMC demands land from the Churches/Schools as a matter of right.
BMC usually fails to plan but in this case their plans are surely going to
fail. This type of bullying won't do now. If they still insist in acquiring the
said lands and do not provide us a Cemetry in a time bound manner, the
community will have no choice but make this a political issue in the
forthcoming elections of 2014 or earlier if it happens.
We will be sending shortly a Memorandum with over 30,000 signatures received
till date to Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairman, NAC, Chief Minister of Maharashtra,
Municipal Commissioner, National and State Minorities Commissions, National
Human Rights Commission and several other authorities.
Our peace rally has been organised along with the Bombay Catholic Sabha and
several other Organisatins on December 1 at Kandivali to demand that the
authorities resolve the issues to the satisfaction of the community.
WE CANNOT WAIT ANY LONGER - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
We appeal to the Chief Minister to step in to address these just demands.
Dolphy D'souza
Spokesperson
Save Our Land - Committee
SOUL
c/o Our Lady of Assumption Church,
M.G. Road, Kandivali West,
Mumbai 400 067.
Cell: 09820226227 Email: [email protected]
