Mosque within walking distance: Mumbai authority to court on drivers' Ramzan plea
India Today
A dispute over a demolished prayer shed near Mumbai airport has reached the Bombay High Court, highlighting security concerns and the availability of nearby mosques.
A dispute over a demolished prayer shed near Mumbai airport reached the Bombay High Court on Thursday, with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority and the airport operator telling the court that several mosques exist in the vicinity and no special privilege can be claimed by Muslim auto, taxi and cab drivers during Ramzan.
Appearing for the MMRDA, Additional Government Pleader Jyoti Chavan told the court that at least three mosques are located close to the airport area, making a separate prayer shed unnecessary. The earlier structure, she said, had been removed after security concerns were flagged at a sensitive location.
“There is a mosque and they just have to walk five to ten minutes. They are claiming to be parking vehicles and then going to pray. Any place they will say we want it here, that cannot be allowed. We do not want to fall in this trap. The demolition took place earlier,” Chavan said.
Chavan also pointed out that the prayer shed was located near a VIP entry point to the airport’s Terminal 1 and local police had raised apprehensions about security threats at the spot.
Supporting the MMRDA’s stand, advocate Vikram Nankani, appearing for the airport operator, told the court that Gate 9, near the old terminal, is a VIP gate with heavy vehicle movement. “There are three mosques in the neighbourhood. They are functional. Walking distance is 13 minutes by Google. What is the prejudice caused by walking 13 minutes? Another mosque is 18 minutes away and the third is slightly further,” he said.
Advocate Shahzad Naqvi, representing a union of auto, taxi, Ola and Uber drivers, argued that the prayer shed was not demolished due to security reasons. He said the structure had existed for nearly 30 years and neither the police nor the airport had objected earlier.
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