May 16: The Mama Hajiani Dargah is in the eye of a storm with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation stopping renovation work at the dargah by the Sir Mohammad Yusuf Trust. The BMC claimed the repair work was in violation of the permission granted to the trust.

Ward officer of G-south H R Welling, under whose purview the dargah falls, said the corporation ordered stopping of work after it was found the trustees had carried out excavations not permitted by the corporation.

He said the ward office had received a written complaint and when officers were sent to survey the work, it was found the trust had excavated a portion of the land, saying this was done to renovate the flooring. He said the officials smelt something fishy and hence the work has been stopped for sometime till the picture is cleared. He said the matter will soon be investigated.

Welling added, ``We did not find their explanation logical and hence ordered immediate stoppage of work.'' He said the trust will be asked for an explanation. The decision to stop work was taken two days ago.

He said the trust, a charitable one, had asked for permission from the corporation in April to carry out repair work saying the present structure housing a sanatorium was in a dilapidated condition and needed immediate repairs. According to Welling, the trust had said they would make minor repairs in the flooring and plastering of walls.

The issue gathered momentum when corporators Nasir Jamal and A Bastiwalla, who are also members of the civic standing committee, raised the issue in the committee meeting last week. Jamal sent written complaints to the local police station, the municipal commissioner and the ward officer requesting action against the trust. Jamal said devotees visiting the dargah had complained to him about the renovation.

Jamal also questioned how any construction work could be carried out within the 500 metre Coastal Regulatory Zone, adding he had received threatening calls from unidentified persons for taking up the issue and had registered complaints with the Nagpada police.

However, pleading innocence, the trustees said they had not violated any rules.

One of the trustees Khalil Suleman told Express Newsline the trust had obtained every permission from the corporation and added they were being victimised for no fault. To substantiate his statement, he showed copies of the permission granted by the corporation.

According to him, the corporation had given them permission to carry out repairs under section 354 of the Bombay Municipal Corporation Act. He said the corporation itself had stated the sanatorium was in a dilapidated condition and if proper precautions were not taken, it could prove dangerous.

Suleman added they had asked for permission to change the flooring, plaster the walls, renovate the roof, change the wooden door and window frames and arrange for water connections. He said the trust wanted to increase the number of rooms from the present seven to 12 in the interest of devotees, but this was not specified in the written permission from BMC. He clarified the trust had explained its stand on the issue to all the concerned municipal officials and hoped that orders to commence work would be issued soon.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.