Maharashtra polls send 30-yr-old Diwali fair packing without notice

Over 90 percent of stall-owners are women running businesses from home

The popular three-decade-old, household business fair that is held a month ahead of Diwali at Antonio D'Silva School's ground in Dadar West was asked to wind up abruptly as the State Election Commission (SEC) has decided to use the premises during polls. As a result, stall-owners who took loans from private creditors ranging from Rs 1 to Rs 1.6 lakh to stock up on material now face a major loss. The SEC, on the other hand, has said that it will try to get an extension for the fair.

The fair, Samartha Bajar Peth, organised this year by Samartha Vyayam Mandir in Dadar had 92 stalls selling clothes, grains, home-décor items, lanterns and rangoli powder. It began on August 23 and was to continue till October 30, with stall-owners focusing on the two weeks before Diwali. "Where do we keep our material? Will we get an alternative place at such short notice? How do we repay our loans?" said Satish Rane, one of the stall-owners.

"This is how we earn our living," said Sujit Kave, another stall-owner. "We have been told that we may get to resume after polling day, but there is no clarity. Will the days lost be compensated? We don't know if the school will give us an extension." The Samartha Vyayam Mandir has paid rent to the school's trust. Anant Bhalekar, Executive President of the organisation, said, "The premises we use for the stalls is not even where the election work will take place. They are using that only as a path to reach the main venue. There are two other gates available. Over 90% of the stall-owners are women. What's happening is not really in our hands."

The school's trustee, R Rodrigues, told mid-day, "Elections were not announced when these things were finalised. We have to let go of other bookings inside the premises too as the SEC's order came at the last moment." When contacted, District Election Officer, Shivaji Jondhale, said, "The Antonio D'Silva School is not just any polling centre, it is the main centre for the constituency. Machines will be mobilised from and collected there. It will be the counting centre too. A main centre requires a huge parking area." Adding that the commission understands the small-scale businesses' situation, Jondhale said, "We will speak to the school and request them to give the fair an extension. After all they have paid the rent too."

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