People from all communities join hands to fight for 400-yr-old Kandivli church
Image Courtesy: churchtimings.com
The Our Lady of Remedy Church in Kandivli has brought together people from across communities, who’ve all joined hands to save a part of the 400-year-old structure from demolition.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had sent a notice to the parishioners of the church, stating that 7 meters of the church’s graveyard will be demolished due to the proposed widening of the SV Road. In order to protect the property, the parishioners and people from other communities held a silent protest on Tuesday.
On receiving the letter, parishioners had approached BMC officials and suggested that the road be widened from the other side. But, an official replied saying, “It is practically impossible for us to widen the road from the other side, as it will again become a sharp turn, which it is at the moment.” He also added, “We are ready to give them developmental rights in return. If this doesn’t work for the parishioners, we will have to approach the court.”
However, the parishioners have already filed a writ petition and are hoping to get justice. The community doesn’t have any problem with the development but will stand in opposition if the holy property is damaged in any way.
Earlier, the BMC officials had come to raze a portion of the land, but the protestors didn’t allow them to destroy the age-old structure. The church and the cemetery are protected under the Heritage List.
The BMC notice issued to the church is under section 299 (acquisition of open land or of land occupied by platforms within the regular line of a street) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act, which the parishioners are challenging.
