Bombay HC stays demolition of 400-yr-old Kandivli church cemetery
The 400-year-old Our Lady of Remedy Church in Kandivli West
The Bombay High Court, on Wednesday, stayed a demolition notice issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to the parishioners of the 400-year-old Our Lady of Remedy Church in Kandivli West.
The notice stated that 7 meters of the church’s graveyard will be demolished due to the proposed widening of the SV Road. A bench comprising justices V M Kanade and Justice M S Karnik stayed the BMC’s notice till the hearing is complete and asked it to file an affidavit by May 4 in response to the plea made by the church.
The petition which was filed in February, states that the parishioners had told the BMC that the church and the cemetery are protected under the Heritage list and suggested that if it wanted to undertake the widening work, it should look at expanding the road from the other side, which was turned down by the civic body. The church has, on multiple occasions, given away its land to the BMC for development.
The parishioners had held a silent march to protest against the BMC’s notice on Tuesday. According to them, the cemetery can’t be dug as religious sentiments are attached to it. If BMC desecrates the place, it may create unnecessary law and order problems in the area.
