Mumbai: Catholics in Thane have raised alarm over the exclusion of the ruins of the 16th century Portuguese-era Our Lady of Mercy Church, Pokhran Road, in the draft of the new Development Plan for the city.
The Bombay Catholic Sabha and the Association of Concerned Catholics have written to the Thane Municipal Corporation, voicing their opposition to the draft DP. Ignatius Quadros, a member of the AOCC, said, "The church still exists, but the new plan does not show this."
The new Development Plan for Thane is for 2024 to 2044.The Town Planning Department said this was not the final plan document. "Today (December 12) was the last date for filing suggestions and objections. It is a plan by the people for the people. A committee will hear each and every suggestion and objection. The plan will be modified accordingly and will be put before the municipal corporation and the state government for approval," said Sangram Kanade, Assistant Director.
In March 2021, the Directorate of Archeology and Museums had asked the Thane district collector to include the church ruins in the list of heritage structures in Thane. It is an excellent specimen of Indo-Portuguese cultural heritage in the Thane region, the Directorate had said, adding that there were concerns in the local community that it would be demolished to build a playground.
The land around the ruins is the matter of a legal dispute. The local church, also called Our Lady of Mercy Church, has claimed the land. The church members have filed petitions and applications in the Bombay High Court, Thane Civil Court, and other judicial forums, claiming the plot. The church trust has said that the plot belonged to them because it was historically a part of the ruins.
The plot is reserved as a playground in the Thane city Development Plan but had been sold in 2007 by another church trust which earlier managed the plot. The sale has been challenged in the office of the Charity Commissioner and the Bombay High Court by members of Our Lady of Mercy church. The cases are still pending.
The petitioners have said that the land cannot be reserved as a playground since there is a dispute. The construction company that bought the plot has handed over the plot to the TMC in return for the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for another project in the city.
Melwyn Fernandes, member of the Our Lady of Mercy church, said, "We are worried that if there is no record of the church in the Development Plan, the ruins can be destroyed and the land will be available for construction."
The Church of Our Lady of Mercy, or Nossa Senhora das Mercês, was built by Jesuits probably in the first quarter of the 17th century. The church was in regular use up to 1737 when war broke out between the Marathas and Portuguese.
When the war ended in 1739 with Portuguese defeat, the church was abandoned and worshippers moved to St John the Baptist Church in Thane. The church is a specimen of Indo-Portuguese architecture.
