Rights commission raps MMRDA chief over besmeared portraits under Dahisar flyover

The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) has asked the commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) to explain why the portraits of national leaders painted below a flyover in Dahisar (East) were defiled with dirt and mud

The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) has asked the commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) to explain why the portraits of national leaders painted below a flyover in Dahisar (East) were defiled with dirt and mud. The commissioner has been asked to reply by October 14 about the steps it will take to restore the area littered with debris from a Metro project.

Mumbai, India - Oct 02, 2022 : Dirt and slime the portraits of below the C S Link Road flyover at Dahisar, in Mumbai, India, on Friday, Oct 02, 2022. (Photo by Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

A division bench of chairperson justice K K Tated and member M A Sayeed has taken cognisance of a news report and initiated a suo motu case against the MMRDA, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).

As part of a beautification scheme in 2015, a garden was set up with portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Lokmanya Tilak, Jyotiba Phule, Bhagat Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose, Balasaheb Thackeray and many others on the pillars and walls under the flyover.

However, in 2017-18, the MMRDA took up Metro work and the garden was cleared to make way for a road and in the process, the portraits were defiled with mud. Even though the project was completed four months ago, only some of the debris has been removed while the portraits remain besmeared.

In the first hearing on September 2, the bench was informed that the BMC and the MHADA had already granted permission to the MMRDA to restore the area to its past glory. The commission then issued summons to the MMRDA chief to be present on September 22.

Advocate K N Solunke, appearing for the MMRDA, informed the bench that work on removing the debris had started and the portraits would be restored. The commission accepted the assurance and asked the MMRDA to file an affidavit listing the measures it would take in this regard.

When HT visited the spot, it found that while some of the debris had been cleared, the portraits remained smeared with dirt. There was also a banner of local MLA Manisha Choudhary claiming to have conducted the bhoomipoojan for a garden on September 26.