Clarifications By BPP Trustees Kersi Randeria And Noshir Dadrawala

On 4^th December, 2020, the BPP had issued a public notice to the community related to the issue of violation of Doongerwadi’s status as a ‘No Fly Zone’, which did not carry the statements of Trustees Noshir Dadrawala and Kersi Randeria, who had provided reasons for opposing the use of drones at Doongerwadi.

Since Trustee Viraf Mehta, supported by Trustees Armaity Tiranzdaz and Xerxes Dastoor, refused to put in the clarification by his colleague Trustees Kersi Randeria and Noshir Dadrawala in the earlier notice issued by Doongerwadi, the following clarification was issued separately on 5^th December, 2020, by the BPP, in the interests of the community:

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLARIFICATION BY TRUSTEES
KERSI RANDERIA & NOSHIR DADRAWALA

“Dear Community Members,

We the Trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet not being part of the clarification issued by the so called majority trustees would like to place on record the following facts:

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KERSI_RANDERIA’S CLARIFICATION

The Three BPP Trustees Armaity Tirandaz, Viraf Mehta & Xerxes Dastur in the last board meeting decided to send out a clarification regarding Doongerwadi.

A draft by trustee Viraf Mehta with the instructions to the Administration to print it and circulate it under the signature of the CEO.

I requested the CEO to also add to the clarification my reasons for opposing the use of drones at Doongerwadi. Trustee Viraf Mehta refused to allow my clarification to be part of the Communique, and to cover up, made changes to the original clarification. Despite my pointing out that this was the stand taken by me all through the discussions and on the inter trustee WhatsApp messages as well. He forced the administration to go ahead with the communique, without my clarification, even though I insisted that the community needs to know the truth.

Since Trustee Viraf Mehta was the person who initiated and pushed for allowing the drone to fly over Doongerwadi, he has forced the administration to put out the so called clarification, which is both factually incorrect and incomplete.

For the benefit of the community, I am putting forward the exact request that I had made to the CEO yesterday.

Kersi Randeria’s email :

“Aspi

If this letter is going out then the reason for my opposing the use of the drone may be recorded as:

Trustee Mr Randeria objected to the use of a drone as Doongerwadi is a No Fly Zone.

Allowing the drone to fly over the No Fly Zone of Doongerwadi (a hard fought victory recently) would set a precedent which would be detrimental to our future defense of the No Fly Zone

Further the survey could have been done and should have been done by the regular manual survey method

 It was not relevant nor important as to who stood where, why and for how long

 What is CRITICAL IS THAT THE NO FLY ZONE WAS VIOLATED”

Kersi Randeria

Trustee

BPP

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NOSHIR DADRAWALA’S CLARIFICATION 

Trustee Noshir Dadrawala has also put forward his clarification, which he had circulated earlier and again yesterday in the exchange of the inter trustee emails, which is also being reproduced hereunder:

Re : Clarification to the Community

“For the record, colleague trustee Viraf Mehta had spoken to me over the phone at night about the use of a drone for survey and on the assurance given to me that:

a) It would be in the presence of trustee Viraf Mehta and our Doongerwadi Manager.

b) The drone would be flying only at a certain low altitude and abutting the main road and our boundary wall near the lower bunglis. It would not be flying anywhere close to our dokhmas.

1) For the record I did give my oral consent to Viraf.

2) I accept it was a personal lapse on my part in not keeping in mind the fact that the entire Doongerwadi property and not just the dokhmas are a “no fly zone”.

3) I wish to place on record that it was a judgemental error on my part and for which I take responsibility and submit for the record my unconditional apology.

4) In future, I shall endeavor to learn from this and not let it happen again.

Regards

Noshir”

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The above emails are shared with the community in the interest of full transparency and accountability on the part of the trustees.

 Since our views were not shared, we have taken the unpalatable decision to put out the above clarification

Kersi Randeria Trustee BPP

Noshir Dadrawala Trustee BPP