Holy Crosses of Mumbai
As you are aware, that in the year 2011, the Caretakers of our Holy Crosses in Mumbai had received Show Causes Notices from the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (BMC) to prove the authenticity of few of our Holy Crosses including the Holy Crosses in Wadala Village, Wadala (E), crosses near UDCT Campus, Matunga, Dadar, etc. and were also informed that if the legality of the existence of the Holy Crosses were not proved within a specific period then they will be left with no alternative but to demolish the same under the guise of development.
The Team Members of MAHARASHTRIAN EAST INDIAN CHRISTIAN FEDERATION (MEICF), headed by Mr Herbert Barretto volunteered to support the Caretakers of the Holy Crosses in the vicinity by helping them to gather the documents from the Offices of the Collector of Mumbai and BMC to furnish proof of its legality and existence before the year 1964.
Accordingly, MEICFdue to constraint/limitation of time urgently called for a meeting with the Caretakers (from the vicinity) of the Holy Crosses and during discussions realized that most of the Caretakers did not have proper documents to prove the existence and legality of the Holy Crosses before the cut-off date i.e. 1964. Simultaneously, MEICF decided to work on the strategy to safeguard all our Holy Crosses in and around Wadala i.e. to undertake amost important step to obtain documents to prove the existence of the said Holy Crosses.
MEICF approached the Office of the (then) Collector of Mumbai Mr. C. Oak, who agreed to assist the said Federation by instructing one of the Officials to help us in tracing the Cadastral Survey (C.S.) Nos. as per the Area (Division). This process helped us to retrieve the C.S. Nos. of most of the Holy Crosses and later accordingly informedus to makenecessary Applications to apply for True Extracts of the Holy Crosses given herein below:
(1) Holy Cross on the footpath (A-46) Opp.Kailash Kunj, Nathalal Parekh Marg, Matunga – True Extract showed the existence in the Collector’s Office records Preliminary Edition - 1918;
(2) Holy Cross on the footpath (A-47) at the Junction of Prabhakar SuleMarg &Nathalal Parekh Marg, Matunga - True Extract showed the existence in the Collector’s Office records Preliminary Edition - 1918; This cross was demolish by the local Municipality but rebuilt later on with help of MEICF.
(3) Holy Cross on the footpath (A-48) at the Junction of Prabhakar SuleMarg & R.A. Kidwai Road, opp. Lijjat Papad, Matunga - True Extract showed the existence in the Collector’s Office records Preliminary Edition - 1918; This cross is demolished by BMC.A small cross is kept in it’s place.
(4) Holy Cross of the footpath (non-listed) of Wadala Villager’s, on Bhairavnath Mandir Road, Opp. Auxilium Convent School, Wadala, (W) - True Extract showed the existence in the Collector’s Office records 3rdEdition - 1954;
(5) Holy Cross of the footpath (non-listed) Late Louis Barretto cross Opp.Wadala Masjid, Bhairavnath Road - True Extract showed the existence in the Collector’s Office records 4thEdition - 1954;
(6) Holy Cross of the footpath (non-listed) Farro family cross ,Opp.Bansidhar Aggarwal High School, Bhairavnath Road - True Extract showed the existence in the Collector’s Office records 4thEdition – 1954;
(7) Holy Cross Opp.Dr.A. D’Silva High School, 9 Gol temple ) Dadar – the True Extract have been given to the Parish Office, Portuguese Church (Salvation Church), Dadar;
(8) Holy Cross ( Dome) on the footpath of Portuguese Church Late Jacinto Barretto cross – the True Extract have been given to the Parish Office, Portuguese Church (Salvation Church);
In order to avoid any lapse of time, MEICF immediately approached the Office of the Assistant Municipal Commissioner at F/North Ward, Matunga (along with Fr. Sanjay Lopes and Mr. Raghunath Thawai, the then Municipal Counselor) and tried convincing the officials to give us some extension of timefor submission of the documents as we have already applied for documents at the Collector’sOffice, but they did not pay heed to any of our request. Subsequently, MEICF approached the BMC’s Registered Office, Development Plan Department,Opp. C.S.T. Station and while going through their record observed that their records showed the Holy Crosses on their Plans but did not specify the Year & Edition of the Plan, and realized that these records at a future date wouldcreate confusion and that the same could not be relied upon.
Immediately, MEICFsent letters the Chief Justice of High Court and Chief Justice of Supreme Court, as also, telephonically MrBarretto tried speaking to the Eminent Leaders of the then Government to grant us extension of time to submit the records. On listening to the pleas of all public at large, the then Government agreed to give extension of time to furnish the documents.
On rigorous follow-up with the Collector’s Office they handed over the True Extracts after a span of 4 weeks which was beyond the date of the original timeline given by Government and on receipt of the same the said documents were submitted in the Offices of the Assistant Municipal Commissioner – F/North Ward, Matunga and the Deputy Municipal Commissioner – F/South Ward, Parel. Please note that the photocopies of the True Extracts of the above Holy Crosses in our vicinity were submitted to our Parish Office (Rev. Fr. Aloo) and the original True Extracts of the Holy Crosses at Dadar were submitted at the Office of the Portuguese Church (Salvation Church), Dadar.
It is to be note that the Office of the Assistant Municipal Commissioner, F/North Ward had on May 17, 2013 sent a Notice to MEICF (as representative of all the Holy Crosses) for the Hearing of Unauthorized Religious Structures as per the directions of the Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Removal & Encroachment) and called to attend the Office with the Original True Extract for verification to prove the authenticity of the said documents. Accordingly, Mr.Barretto and Mr. Novel Serrao have been attending the Hearings from then onwards (i.e. almost for the past 2 years) in the Chamber of the Assistant Commissioner.
MEICF are pleased to inform you that Assistant Municipal Commissioner’s Office have verified the documents and found the same to be authentic and the same were accepted by the said Office and accordingly the Office informed MEICF that they shall inform the same to the Office of the Deputy Municipal Commissioner. Enclosed please find a photocopy of a letter ref. no. ODFN/251 dated July 08, 2014 received from the Office of the Assistant Municipal Commissioner, F/North Ward, which is self-explanatory and the same is for your ease of reference and record.
Fr’s, this being a noteworthy performance of MEICF was not appreciated by the then Parish Priest, hence the undersigned request you to kindly make an announcement appreciating the work done by the Members of the MEICF in removing time and taking initiative in collating the valuable documents of the Holy Crosses,and further stopping the Officials of BMC from unnecessarily harassing the Caretakers of the said Holy Crosses.
In the meanwhile, we also request you to make an announcement during the Masses informing the parishoner’s that MEICF is planning to take up a causeby battling with the Government Bodies to retrieve back the Saltpan land which were forcefully acquired for Wadala-Chembur Reclamation Scheme in year 1964-65 by disrupting our family business by paying pittance as compensation amount, and that, the government has till date not fulfilled the purpose acquisition of the ancestral lands and for misuse of the said land.Hence, MEICF calls up all the affected people/the then owners of the saltpan lands to approach Mr. Herbert Barretto, President of MEICF with the photocopies of their documents pertaining to their plot of saltpan land at office of MEICF at:
OFFICE: Angie Cold Storage & Barretto Tours
“955, Shanta Ram Building, Katrak Road,
Off. David Barretto,Wadala (W),
Mumbai – 400 031.
Contact No. 9702800900”9618353433
For MAHARASHTRIAN EAST INDIAN CHRISTIAN FEDERATION
(Herbert D.Barretto) President MEICF