Mumbai: Parsi Gates battle moves to WhatsApp

Yet another meeting took place about the proposed shifting of The Parsi Gates at ChowpattyMarine Drive on Monday The subject has been simmering for a while now as the BMC plans to shift the gates further south because of the Coastal Road project The new proposed location is opposite the wellknown Kishco Cutlery store on Marine DriveAn earlier meeting on June 30 which was held between a few representatives of the Bombay Parsi Panchayat BPP custodians of community affairs other invitees and BMC representatives had created a storm The issue has polarised Parsis with WhatsApp being the medium of fierce fightingThis is the reason BPP trustee Viraf Mehta convened a virtual meeting about which he said The sentiments of many can be heard and we go with a fresh perspective to the civic authorities asking for more time and apprising them about fears and wariness about the new location Mehta further said A lot of people are against the shift so the meet has been convened to hear out the community members First speaker Havovi S said The Parsi Gates are part of the heritage Marine Drive precinct It does have spiritual significance When people pray at a particular place for so many years like they have been doing here the place is charged with a certain spiritual energyViraf Mehta BPP trustee and convenor of the meetingEarly stageSeveral lifechanging instances were cited about the power of prayers at the Parsi Gates and it was stated that not just Parsis but Hindus also access the place to go to the beach when they have to pray to waterHavovi questioned the suitability of the new proposed location Some participants said that the community should have been approached at the planning stage itselfQuestions were raised about whether the heritage committee had given permission for shifting A participant raised a concern that with the shift effectively it means there is a new location so the heritage aspect or value of a structure that is moved may disappear altogetherNot combativeMehta reassured all that we are taking the communitys view with this meet When the meeting was held with the BMC officials we were told that the tetrapods will be removed at the new location a staircase will be made for people to access the water and it was to be a replica of the current gatesThose attending the virtual meet said that the point was to discuss the matter with the civic authorities We do not have to be combative but work with them That is the way to go ahead many saidYet another participant Xerxes claimed Two high priests were consulted The site does have significance when you take into account the sentiments and the number of years for which people have prayed here Yet it is not a consecrated site Since there are no high priests present at the discussion it isimportant to put forth their point of viewEntire stretchEnvironmentalist Zoru Bhathena said The entire stretch from Princess Road flyover to Mafatlal club is to be reclaimed for Coastal Road There will be land in front of the Parsi Gates if they stay at the same place then with the reclamation there will be no access to the seaAs the meeting closed several points were made The way ahead was to take sentiments to the BMC make a technical presentation if possible about the feasibility of maintaining status quo when it comes to the location of the gates check heritage permissions and have a dialogue with officials about a possible solutionKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news