Commission reprimands BMC for Mumba-Devi temple parking error

The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission has reprimanded the BMC municipal commissioner for initiating the construction of a parking lot next to the Mumba-Devi temple, a site originally earmarked for the temple development. The commission criticised the commissioner for reneging on his commitment and sought a detailed roadmap to resolve several issues, providing respite to the large number of devotees who visit the temple.

The committee, headed by Justice KK Tated and MA Sayeed, took judicial notice of a newspaper article titled ‘Give a place to the goddess’, which highlighted the temple’s inability to provide basic facilities like toilets, drinking water and parking due to the BMC allotting space for parking.

In response to the commission’s query, the BMC counsel said that the land (DP 2034 City Survey No. 6/1640 of Bhuleshwar division) is earmarked for parking.

However, advocate Dharmesh Pandya, appearing for the temple, opposed this and argued that the commissioner had made a false statement before the commission.

However, advocate Dharmesh Pandya, representing the temple, opposed this by submitting a letter dated December 22, 2022, from the deputy engineer, which stated that the land was reserved for a school and not for a parking lot. The document showed that the school had not been functional for the last 25 years and efforts to transfer the land to the temple premises had already been initiated.

“According to the documents, the Urban Development Department reports show that since the land was earmarked for the school, the application for shifting to the temple premises has already been filed with the Education Ministry,” the document reads.

After examining the evidence, the commission noted that despite efforts at the state level to develop a religious structure around the Mumba-Devi temple, similar to those in Ujjain and Varanasi, the BMC had blatantly disobeyed the commission’s procedure. “The BMC ignored an order from the Guardian Minister Shri Dipak Kesarkar to discontinue the tender process for the parking lot and prepare a detailed development plan,” the commission said.

The commission asked the municipal commissioner to explain the alleged “false statement” made before the commission and to file an affidavit addressing the issue.

Published on: Friday, July 5, 2024, 12:20 AM IST