Residents want the toilet block – locked in a dispute since 1996 as Parsis fear it would contaminate water in their sacred well, located at Bhikha Behram – demolished
By Manoj Nair / Mumbai Mirror
With a section of the Cross Maidan showcasing a new, green look, Oval residents want the urinal near Bhikha Behram to be demolished as it is an eyesore.
The urinal was constructed by the Rotary Club of Bombay Sunrise in 1996. But it was never used as the Parsi community petitioned the High Court saying that sewage from the toilet could contaminate the sacred well, situated a few metres away.
The community, represented by the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) and the Bhikha Behram Well Trust, recently amended the petition to include the demolition of the structure as one of their pleas.
Though the petition was first filed in 1996, the matter dragged on as the petitioners went to the Supreme Court when the High Court declined to stay construction of the urinal. The SC stayed the construction and sent the issue back to the high court.