Catholics seek CM’s intervention on Sahar Church

Mumbai: The Catholic Secular Forum and Dr Abraham Mathai, a member of the Maharashtra Minorities Commission, have sought the intervention of Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to stop the acquisition of Sahar Church for airport expansion.
Mathai and the Forum representatives presented the CM with a memorandum seeking his intervention in the issue. The Sahar Church is a 400-year-old heritage structure, which is now being threatened by airport expansion. The CSF has resolved to take up the issue with all those concerned at the central and state level and has begun by presenting memorandums to leaders of different political parties.
The CSF memorandum highlights a fact finding report, compiled after meeting with Fr Allwyn D’souza of the Sahar Church, Godfrey Pimenta and Nicholas Almeida of the Sahar Citizens Forum, Gordon D’souza - East Indian activist, local residents, experts and others.
The CSF has demanded that the acquisition plan be scrapped fully, particularly since a new airport is proposed in Navi Mumbai and in view of the religious sentiments involved. It has also decided to call for a boycott of those political parties, in the forthcoming legislative assembly elections, who do not support the cause. Reacting to the CSF memorandum, both Dr Abraham Mathai and Kripashankar Singh expressed support to the cause and promised to find an amicable solution to the problem.
13/12/07 Indian Catholic

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Categories: Airports Dec 2007