Mumbai Christians join to protect Church land

A memorandum of demands was also handed over to municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte.

File photo.

Thousands of Christians gathered in a public ground in Mumabi on Saturday to protest against the unjust acquisition of Church lands in city.

The rally and meeting of some 3,000 Christians in Azad Maidan was called by an alliance of over 30 Christian organizations and local parishes and some prominent civil society leaders joined the protest.

A memorandum of demands was also handed over to municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte.

The protest was triggered by notices from the municipal corporation, issued two years ago to St Anthony's Church and St Anthony's School, in Malwani, for acquisition of land to widen the road running alongside these institutions.

Similar notices have also been received by Our Lady of Assumption Church nd St Joseph School in Kandivli. The community has also demanded withdrawal of notices for demolition of Crosses in various parts of the city and the protection of Gaonthans.

According to the notice issued to St Anthony's Church and school, the institutions will lose about 25,000 sq ft area that would involve demolishing the 150-year-old house of the head priest of the parish, a part of a church monument and playground.

Community members explained that while they had no objections to development, the road-widening project had done injustice to them as the original plan was changed to take away church land.

"The road line has been there since 1971. According to the road line, the widening should be done on either side of the existing median. In that case we would have had to give up about 10,000 sq ft and not 25,000 sq ft. But since three buildings have come up on the other side, they have changed the road line and will take all the land from us," said Fr Austin Norris, parish priest, St Anthony's Church.

"These buildings came up in 2000. When the BMC knew that it had to widen the road there was no reason for it to allow the buildings to come up. These land acquisition notices must be withdrawn," said Dolphy D'Souza, spokesperson of Save Our Land (SOUL), which is spearheading the agitation.

"This is a situation where we have to ensure that our lands are saved," said Sailesh Gandhi.

Judge Suresh slammed the majoritarianism that has crept into the system. "Today there is a rule by the majority (community) and not of the majority (who vote)," he said.

The municipal commissioner acknowledge receiving a memorandum on the issues and said, "They have given me a representation and we will examine it."

Source: dnaindia