A thanksgiving jashan was held in the Bai Maneckbai Nusserwanji Chenoy Fire Temple in Hyderabad on February 4, 2024 to mark the end of the 22-month saga of sewage water ingress into the compound of the fire temple and the residences therein. The accumulation of water in the area was reportedly due to unauthorized construction by a neighboring eatery, Santosh Dhaba, and first came to light in March 2022 (see "Battling sewage ingress,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, November 7-20, 2023). The matter concluded in January 2024 with the sewerage board and the municipal corporation being directed by the courts to settle the matter. The two departments were reportedly tossing the problem onto each other.
From l: Jehangir Bisney and trustee Darius Chenai;
Shireen Sethna Baria and trustee Mehernosh Chenoy;
secretary Russi Doctor, trustee Nadir Chinoy, Rajvinder Singh Ahluwalia
Among the many who would have heaved several sighs of relief, in addition to the fire temple trustees, the trust secretary and the harassed tenants, would be the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman of Secunderabad and Hyderabad (PZASH) trustee Jehangir Bisney who said he got a free hand from the agiary trustees to deal with the matter. He mobilized the support of the cosmopolitan and Parsi Press, the National Commission for Minorities, high priests, Bombay Parsi Punchayet, an online petition and enlisted vocal colony resident Nianaaz Darabna in the campaign (see "Battling sewage ingress,” Readers’ Forum, pg 14). He deemed the tussle "a tough fight… More like a chess game involving strategy… The other side had everything… Money, influence and brute power.”
Vakils Associated, led by Shireen Sethna Baria, provided pro bono services for the case. In a touching moment, while being felicitated for his efforts Sethna Baria’s partner in the firm, Rajvinder Singh Ahluwalia, a Sikh, said, "If it were my gurdwara I would have done the same.”
In a broadcast message Bisney listed the various stages in the quest for relief from the menace. He arranged for PZASH trustee Ervad Kerfegar Antia of the Parsi colony to file a writ petition over the negligence of government departments concerning the drainage issue. Antia was a stakeholder as the mucky water had affected the fire temple well. The court reprimanded the departments for their careless handling of the matter which highlighted discriminatory treatment towards the Parsi community and emphasized the need for decisive action against establishments contributing to sewage blockages. "It directed the departments to provide a permanent solution and to clear the drainage daily. The court also ordered a joint inspection supervised by the state’s principal secretary and temporary measures to address the issue.” The Dhaba (food joint), after initially resisting, allowed access for cleaning the sewerage pipelines, leading to the departments replacing the broken pipeline and resolving the issue. Antia will update the court accordingly for the case closure, stated Bisney.