Parsi petitioners to gather for massive public meeting against Metro III tunnel

This Friday is going to be quite eventful for the Parsi community. While the group that has filed a petition in the High Court - praying the Metro III underground tunnel not go anywhere under the community's Atash Behrams (sacred fires) - is set to meet officials from the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRC) on Friday morning, the community will gather for a massive public meeting in the evening.

Reply received
The group of HC petitioners, which includes solicitor Berjis Desai, scholar priest Dr Rooyintan Peshotan Peer, structural engineer Jamshed Sukhadwalla, and two trustees of the Shah Varzaavand Trust, who are being represented by senior counsel Shyam Mehta and advocate Zerick Dastur, had written to MMRC last Monday, asking them to provide all relevant documents and blueprints regarding the alignment of the underground tunnel, before the two factions finally meet face-to-face for the court-monitored meeting on Friday.

They received a reply to the letter this Monday, June 4, according to Dastur. "The meeting has been fixed for Friday morning; all of us will be going for it," he said, adding, "We also received some documents from the [Metro] authorities, but we don't know whether or not they are what we'd asked for. We'll have to see till what extent they have given us information."

Asked whether four days were enough to thoroughly read the documents, he said: "I really don't know. Only after going through all of them will we know whether we need further information. We have always been hopeful. If something develops at MMRC's level during Friday's meeting, it'll be great."

Speak in one voice
While the meeting with Metro authorities is scheduled for Friday morning, the Parsi community itself has planned a huge public meeting at Marine Lines the same evening, to discuss the ongoing Metro issue.

The group of petitioners will attend it as well. mid-day reported on June 5 in 'Parsis gear up for show of solidarity,' how the community meeting has been announced through fliers distributed at fire temples, community channels, and social media. Dastur added: "This is a time for everyone to speak in one voice, irrespective of what their views are on other community issues and aspects."

Also read: Parsis gear up for protest against Metro 3 work under fire temples

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