Doongerwadi plot will not be used for Malabar Hill reservoir project: MP Lodha

Suburban guardian minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha has assured trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet that the Doongerwadi land will not be touched for the relocation of a reservoir. The land has been used as a resting place for the deceased Parsi, Irani Zoroastrians for the last 300 years.

Mumbai: Suburban guardian minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha wrote to the trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), an apex body representing the Parsi/Irani Zoroastrian community in Mumbai, on Thursday assuring them that the Doongerwadi land will remain untouched to relocate Malabar Hill reservoir below the Hanging Gardens.

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“This suggestion was immediately rejected. Doongerwadi has been a dedicated location for over the last 300 years and it houses the Towers of Silence which is the resting place for the deceased Parsi, Irani Zoroastrians. There is no question of acquiring even an inch of this land from the Doongerwadi for any such reason. Please take this as my solemn assurance on behalf of our government. Please communicate this to the members of your community and allay their fears or doubts on this issue,” stated Lodha in his letter.

When HT contacted a BPP member he said, “There was a lot of hearsay within the community about the Doongerwadi plot being used for the Malabar Hill reservoir plan where we were told that people were just spreading false rumours on WhatsApp and indulging in fear-mongering. Lodha said he will give us an assurance in writing that the Doongerwadi plot will remain untouched.”