Events & Personalities
Dhunbai Wadi tenders
"There appears to be undue haste in finalizing the bid for redevelopment of Dhunbai Wadi and Dhunbai Villa,” alleged Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustee Yazdi Desai in an email dated March 26, 2013 addressed to his co-trustees and published in the Parsi Times (PT) dated June 8, 2013. The World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis (WAPIZ) founder trustee noted that he had missed the BPP trustees’ meeting of March 5 but lamented that the minutes of the meeting reached him only on March 25. Alleging that formalities had been bypassed in finalizing the tender, Desai stated, "I am certain that the community will view this unholy endeavor of the BPP as an obvious attempt to favor builder Rohinton Mehta with the contract...
"The redevelopment issue was done in the absence of three trustees (himself, Jimmy Mistry and Khojeste Mistree),” Desai claimed in his email dated May 14, 2013. He alleged fresh agendas are issued at the start of the BPP trustees’ meetings "which has now become the usual practice adopted to sneak in controversial items so that trustees are not be warned and prepared for discussions…
"Let it be also recorded that the timing of BPP meetings too was unilaterally changed from 5 p.m. to 3 p.m. thereby ensuring that Jimmy and I find it even more difficult to attend the beginning part of the meeting when controversial items are taken up in our absence,” stated Desai in his email of May 14, 2013. (One reason cited for putting forward the time of the meetings was that they were getting over after 10 p.m. and the other trustees and staff had perforce to stay late.)
"Meetings are unilaterally cancelled or terminated early, when the chairman is not able to attend or has to leave early for personal reasons [to watch IPL (India Premier League)] — no wonder then that the chairman has a near 100 percent attendance,” concluded Desai.
In the next issue of the weekly Rohinton Mehta in a letter dated June 11, 2013 countered Desai’s allegations noting that five tenders for the redevelopment were opened in the presence of solicitor Burjor Antia, Dinshaw Mehta and Mistree. He points out his firm M/s Rohinton Mehta Builders and Developers were the only party to raise "their offer to 36.5 percent municipal built up area from their original offer of 27 percent municipal built up area” at which point Antia closed the tender in his favor. He alleged Desai was trying "to defame all who were involved in the tender process.” He further alleged "Mr Yazdi Desai should have thought before becoming the trustee that he has no time for the BPP and the community at large and his absenteeism and late coming in the weekly meeting is atrocious.”
Dismissing Rohinton’s response as "long winded and irrelevant,” Desai stated in the same PT issue: "I may be late for BPP meetings but it is I, a latecomer who is vigilant and attentive enough to catch the irregularities happening in the BPP. Isn’t that preferable to 100 per cent attendance to zero performance?”
Due to an unintentional error in the drafting of the tender advertisement, fresh tenders were called for and the contract was reportedly assigned to another party that raised the offer to Kishore Biyani of the Future Group 52 percent.
Former BPP trustee Noshir Darawala who was hounded out of office sent an SMS on June 8, 2013: "I am amused reading in today’s Parsi Times about … decisions being taken in Yazdi Desai absence, minutes not being confirmed in his presence, other trustees not supporting him. Why am I not surprised? I can only say what goes around comes around. They deserve each other and the community also deserves the leaders it elects.”
"The redevelopment issue was done in the absence of three trustees (himself, Jimmy Mistry and Khojeste Mistree),” Desai claimed in his email dated May 14, 2013. He alleged fresh agendas are issued at the start of the BPP trustees’ meetings "which has now become the usual practice adopted to sneak in controversial items so that trustees are not be warned and prepared for discussions…
"Let it be also recorded that the timing of BPP meetings too was unilaterally changed from 5 p.m. to 3 p.m. thereby ensuring that Jimmy and I find it even more difficult to attend the beginning part of the meeting when controversial items are taken up in our absence,” stated Desai in his email of May 14, 2013. (One reason cited for putting forward the time of the meetings was that they were getting over after 10 p.m. and the other trustees and staff had perforce to stay late.)
"Meetings are unilaterally cancelled or terminated early, when the chairman is not able to attend or has to leave early for personal reasons [to watch IPL (India Premier League)] — no wonder then that the chairman has a near 100 percent attendance,” concluded Desai.
In the next issue of the weekly Rohinton Mehta in a letter dated June 11, 2013 countered Desai’s allegations noting that five tenders for the redevelopment were opened in the presence of solicitor Burjor Antia, Dinshaw Mehta and Mistree. He points out his firm M/s Rohinton Mehta Builders and Developers were the only party to raise "their offer to 36.5 percent municipal built up area from their original offer of 27 percent municipal built up area” at which point Antia closed the tender in his favor. He alleged Desai was trying "to defame all who were involved in the tender process.” He further alleged "Mr Yazdi Desai should have thought before becoming the trustee that he has no time for the BPP and the community at large and his absenteeism and late coming in the weekly meeting is atrocious.”
Dismissing Rohinton’s response as "long winded and irrelevant,” Desai stated in the same PT issue: "I may be late for BPP meetings but it is I, a latecomer who is vigilant and attentive enough to catch the irregularities happening in the BPP. Isn’t that preferable to 100 per cent attendance to zero performance?”
Due to an unintentional error in the drafting of the tender advertisement, fresh tenders were called for and the contract was reportedly assigned to another party that raised the offer to Kishore Biyani of the Future Group 52 percent.
Former BPP trustee Noshir Darawala who was hounded out of office sent an SMS on June 8, 2013: "I am amused reading in today’s Parsi Times about … decisions being taken in Yazdi Desai absence, minutes not being confirmed in his presence, other trustees not supporting him. Why am I not surprised? I can only say what goes around comes around. They deserve each other and the community also deserves the leaders it elects.”
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