Khada Parsi encroachment

"It is very sad to see this piece of history being subjected to vandalism,” observed conservation architect Pankaj Joshi who had been commissioned by the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) to restore the Khada Parsi statue in Byculla, reported Mid Day (MD) on February 28, 2016. The restoration work was completed in June 2014 and Joshi recalled that "there were plans to fence the area around the statue and install CCTV cameras, but it doesn’t seem to be working. The material used for the restoration is of great quality, but it is barely secure.” This magazine had reported extensively on the restoration (see "Splendor of the statue,” Parsiana, August 7, 2014).

Khada Parsi monument in Byculla

Unfortunately, the Khada Parsi monument has been re-occupied by slum dwellers who use it as their residence. The BMC officer from E Ward admitted to MD, "I know about the problem… But the proposal to improve it and put fencing lies with the heritage committee. Unless they give the go ahead, we cannot take adequate steps. CCTVs too have been planned.”
The cast iron statue of Seth Cursetjee Manockjee, a 19th century businessman and pioneer in education, stands atop a 40-foot Corinthian pillar with sculptures of four mermaids surrounding the base. The Grade I heritage monument is over 150 years old and was restored two years back at an estimated cost of just under one crore rupees (US$ 148,111). Six lakh rupees are spent annually on its maintenance notes the MD report.