When the Trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) recently decided to increase Service and Maintenance charges of the Baugs under their management by Rs. 750/-, there was some concern raised whether this would be an additional burden on the old, retired or low income families residing in the Baugs. The Trustees, being responsible for sustaining the smooth functioning of the Trust, had taken the decision to raise the Service Charge by Rs. 750, after a gap of 13 years.

We are happy to state that nearly 80% of the residents have already paid their dues. In keeping with our commitment to being sensitive to the difficulties that a section of the community would face, we issued advertisements requesting those in financial difficulty to apply for required subsidies. These cases are being considered with utmost confidentiality and are being handled swiftly, smoothly and with compassion. As a matter of fact, the Trustees were especially touched with the honesty of some of our not-so-well-to-do community members who came forward volunteering to pay a small part of the amount due to their financial inability to pay the entire sum. As a gesture of sensitivity and appreciation towards these beneficiaries, the Trustees waived the entire amount, after sufficiently confirming their financial impediment.

The BPP convened a meeting on Thursday, 20^th July, especially to scrutinise such applications. The Trustees, in just one evening unanimously approved 59 of the 69 applications received so far. 10 cases were not approved on account of their income and one case has been set aside for further inquiry. All applications are being processed with utmost sensitivity and swiftness. The Trustees are committed to equally safeguarding the best interests of the Trust and its beneficiaries.

We wish to thank the community for their cooperation and appreciate the fact that a vast majority did not fall for the populist gimmicks that certain political elements within the community tried to experiment with.

Thank You and Ushta Te!

The Trustees,

The Bombay Parsi Punchayet