Mumbai's 'Vegetarian only' buildings

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'Vegetarian only' buildings in Mumbai

 

By Madhurima Nandy in Mumbai

Tuesday, 28 October , 2003, 10:31

http://sify.com/cities/mumbai/fullstory.php?id=13293703&vsv=660

 

If you think Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan and accommodating Indian

city, think again. A new wave of vegetarian-only buildings are coming

up across the metropolis, particularly in affluent areas like Bandra,

Khar, Nana Chowk, Juhu Scheme and Teen Batti, Walkeshwar.

Many societies in these areas work hard to ensure only vegetarians

are allowed to move in. Given the obvious discrimination involved,

this is, naturally, a silent movement ?there are no written rules

forbidding non-vegetarians from buying homes there.

 

One such society is Madhu Park, an area between Linking Road and SV

Road, Khar. It has long had a strict `no non-vegetarians?policy; even

the new buildings there stick to the tradition of keeping non-

vegetarians away.

 

In Lakshmi Nagar Housing Society, Madhu Park, the parameters are even

stricter ?only vegetarian Gujaratis are allowed to live there.

 

Sunil Singh of Mayfair Housing, which is currently constructing three

buildings in Madhu Park, said, "Even in these new buildings, we are

not allowed to sell a single flat to a non-vegetarian. Vegetarians

from other communities are also not allowed as they are not thought

to be true vegetarians.?

 

Hetal Shah, a resident of Rushabh Apartment near Prarthna Samaj at

Nana Chowk, said, "We can't imagine someone cooking meat in the next

flat. We don't even have any meat shop in the area.?

 

Hatkesh Society at Juhu Scheme is another vegetarian zone. Most of

the people who live here are Marwaris, Gujaratis and Rajasthanis.

 

In south Mumbai, this issue, once restricted to the Malabar Hill and

Walkeshwar area, has now spread to Mumbai Central and Nana Chowk.

 

Real estate redeveloper Haresh Mehta, who is building three apartment

blocks at Nana Chowk, said, "It is a new trend; people like having

like-minded neighbours. Old residents of redeveloped projects

insisted we do not sell flats to non-vegetarians. Besides, any non-

vegetarian would also feel uncomfortable.?

 

Bijal Vachharajani of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

(PETA), a strong advocate of vegetarianism the world over, said the

growing trend of going veg is a good thing, "but it is stupid to

discriminate in this respect and impose such parameters on buyers?

 

Meanwhile, both builders and real estate agents say the central

suburbs have so far escaped this form of discrimination.

 

Apart from Ghatkopar, the central suburbs don't have any specific

vegetarian zones.