PARSIS SIGN UP FOR CAMPAIGN AGAINST NOFLY ZONE RELAXATION

MUMBAI:

A day after a meeting was held between trustees of Bombay Parsi Panchayat (BPP), officials from collector’s office and Air Traffic Control over the relaxation of the no-fly zone over Tower of Silence, a section of the community will start a signature campaign in protest.

This is against the proposed relaxation of no-fly zone over Tower of Silence at Doongerwadi, Malabar Hill and the underground metro, which will pass below Wadiaji Atash Behram, Dhobi Talao. The proposal by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd (MADCL) to the collector suggests a reduction in ‘no-fly zone’ from one nautical mile to 500 metres to use the path for emergencies and disasters.

“We are not against development. Even we want the city to get better, but not at the cost of affecting the sanctity of our religious places. We are a minority community and this demand has hurt us tremendously,” said Pervez Cooper, vice-president, Clean Heritage Colaba Residents Association (CHCRA), who is also heading the campaign.

As part of the campaign, a letter will be circulated to all Parsi colonies and Parsi Gymkhanas, Wadiaji Atash Behram and Anjuman nu Atash Behram, asking people for support. Cooper also plans to reach out to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and CM Devendra Fadnavis.

Speaking to HT, the members of the panchayat said they will ensure that the decision does not affect the community. “We assure the community that the decision on the matter will not be taken in haste, and will not affect the sentiments of the community in any manner,” the board said.