VHP Seeks Removal Of Prayer Hall Near Mumbai Airport After MMRDA Rejects Temporary Shed Request For Cab Drivers

Mumbai: Days after the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) rejected a request seeking permission to erect a temporary shed for Hindu cab drivers near T2 to conduct prayers during Shravan, saying that the airport area has no reservation for religious structures, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has demanded the demolition of a prayer hall at the same site.

MMRDA Cites No Religious Reservation In Development Plan

In a letter dated September 18, the MMRDA's Town Planning Division rejected a September 2 application by a Kalina resident seeking permission to erect a temporary shed for Ola and Uber drivers to conduct prayers, saying there was no provision for a religious structure in the development framework for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Notified Area (CSMIANA).

“There is no reservation, allocation or designation of any site/plot for a place of public worship in the Interim Development Plan (IDP) of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Notified Area (CSMIANA),” the authority said.

Organisation Refers To Supreme Court Order On Religious Structures

In view of the MMRDA's reply that there is no reservation for religious places in the area, the VHP has questioned the existence of a Muslim prayer hall at the site. In a letter to the MIAL chief executive officer, VHP Konkan Regional General Secretary Ramchandra Ramuka and president Devkinandan Jindal alleged that an unauthorised prayer place at CTS No. 145, near T2 and a five-star hotel in Andheri East, was being allowed to continue.

Referring to a September 29, 2009 Supreme Court order concerning religious structures on public land, the VHP alleged that the continued existence of the facility was in violation of the order.

Airport Prayer Hall Issue Sparks Fresh Controversy

“MIAL and GVK had given a written assurance on April 27, 2015, to relocate the temporary rest room-cum-prayer hall within 18 months,” said a VHP representative.

The VHP alleged that despite the assurance, the structure had not been removed or relocated. It also claimed that the land was being made available to the Muslim community, potentially facilitating unauthorised construction. The organisation has sought an investigation into the matter.

The presence of the prayer hall has been the source of a recent controversy involving religious groups and government authorities. Last week, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a notice to the managing authorities of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), directing them to cut the water supply line to the adjoining mosque, saying that the connection was illegal.

The BMC notice came days after the MMRDA asked the airport authorities to remove the “illegal” religious structure.

The BMC has not commented on the legal status of the structure. The MMRDA said it did not own the land in question and that land within the CSMIANA is owned by the Airports Authority of India and leased to MIAL.

The VHP said the prayer hall continues to exist despite an undertaking to relocate it. MIAL declined to comment on the issue.

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