Parsi priest's letter bomb: 'Was misled about tunnels by Metro officials'

The high priest of Udvada Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor has seemingly had a change of heart on the controversial Metro III alignment Months after claiming the Metro tunnelling work wont harm the Parsi communitys sacred Atash Behrams he is now of the opinion that the project should be realigned to protect the structuresIn a June 8 letter to the group of Parsis who have petitioned against the Metro he has also stated Metro authorities fed him misinformation when he met them last yearKhurshed Dastoor who was also appointed last year as a member on the National Minorities Commission had visited MMRCL officials in October 2017 After the meeting hed announced he was fully satisfied with their explanation that the tunnel alignment does not come in the way of the sanctum sanctorum or the well thus drawing flak from those strongly seeking realignmentFed misinformationNow at a time when the entire community has come together demanding the realignment Dastoor too holds a different opinion on the issue He wrote in the June 8 letter As I have stated previously had I known about the alignment of the tunnels below these two pious buildings earlier I would have surely objected to the same and also suggest realignment He further alleges the Metro authorities had fed him misinformation last yearIt is only when we the high priests were consulted last year that too with misinformation about the realignment about the tunnel not passing through the sanctum sanctorum of Wadiaji Atash Behram did I step in to know the truth from the Metro authorities and presented the facts to the community he wrote in the letterSpeaking to midday from New Delhi Dastoor said Last year MMRCL clearly said the tunnels cannot be shifted Wed requested them to realign but they said there was no alternative and assured us they would take utmost care and precaution That is why at the time I said it was okay to go ahead with the tunneling because there wasnt any other optionWhat changedSo what made him change his mind It was Hafeez Contractors realignment plan later submitted to the authorities When asked whether MMRCL had misled the community Dastoor said Let me be fair MMRCL had limitations of design whereas Hafeez Contractor is a master of architecture what he designs and what other people design is quite different Hafeez found out the way to realign itReacting to those pointing fingers at him for his drastic change of stance Dastoor said At the time I was told there was no alternative and even today if I am told the same thing I will stick to my stance that the project can go ahead But if an alternative is available then it should be worked upon As for the letter it culminates with Dastoor asking for the realignment In conclusion I reiterate that if there is any possibility to realign the tunnels to preserve the sanctity of these edifices then the same should be undertakenCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates