Resolving conflict

The dispute in Bardoli over the use of their dakhma land which surfaced at the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anju-mans of India meeting in September 2009 has been referred to the president of the all India body Dinshaw Meh­ta.

In a letter dated October 26, 2009 former Bardoli Jar­thosti Anjuman (BJA) president and WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) founder trustee Jamshed Mohta has stated, "I hereby undertake that if your good self together with your team of trustees take the responsibility of dakhma land for its well-being and to use the same for benefit of our community only, I am prepared together with other protestors to withdraw all protest with the Collector, Assistant Charity Commissioner and Joint Charity Commissioner, unconditionally and would provide whatever support your good self anticipate from me and of my team of protestors.”

Mohta contends that though the dakhma land "belongs to my ancestors” and does not stand in the name of the BJA, "I have absolutely no intention to generate any efforts for its possession or to claim its ownership. The land belongs to the Parsi community and must be utilized for the benefit of community only.”

Jamshed Mohta: for the commu­nity’s benefit

The present trustees of the BJA had complained about Mohta’s obstinacy and opposition in utilizing the dakhma lands for the greater benefit of the community. A proposal had been put forth to run a cosmopolitan school on the dakhma land thereby generating income for the Anjuman. Mohta opposed the proposal alleging the trustees were "inducting social activities of (a) cosmopolitan nature in the constitution of the Bardoli Jarthosti Anjuman, which is a purely religious trust.”