Bandra Fair: Talks fail, renters left in the lurch

Former stallholders protesting outside Mount Mary church

Talks between former Bandra Fair stallholders and Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount authorities have proved futile for the former. While the stall rent was lowered from Rs 3,000 to Rs 550 per square foot amid a two-week agitation, the protesters - some of whom had been operating stalls at the fair for decades - dug in their heels. Now, they will attempt to run stalls allotted via the new tendering system on a sublease basis.

The week-long fair at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount will start on September 8. The church allows around 150 stalls to sell candles, flowers, food, toys and artificial jewellery. Many stallholders' families had been selling wares during the 300-year-old fair for generations. The controversy erupted on August 11 over the tenfold increase of rent by the church and the new tendering system to allot the stalls by lottery.

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Former stallholders protest against the rent and new tendering system at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount

The rent for stalls was around Rs 250 per sq ft for eight days in 2022. Last year, the church increased it to Rs 500 per sq ft, which stallholders agreed to pay. The church also introduced a colour-code system based on the location and area of the stall where the maximum amount is Rs 3,000 per sq ft. This means operating a stall with an area of 100 sq ft would cost the owner Rs 3,00,000.

The protesters demanded that the rent be slashed and stalls allotted only to traditional stall operators instead of resorting to a new tendering system. Though the church initially resisted lowering the rents, after three meetings with authorities at different levels and the archbishop's intervention, the rent was reduced from Rs 3,000 per sq ft to Rs 500 per sq foot plus GST.

"We fought to lower the rent but the church didn't listen to our request that stalls be allotted only to previous stallholders. We were ready to pay Rs 550 per square foot. But the church allotted stalls to people unknown to us and even deposited the money. Now we are helpless," said Rupesh Gomes, a protester. He alleged two or more stalls were given to those in same family this year and they were going to sublease them.

Kiran Kolate, 62, who used to sell toys at the fair says proceeds used to help pay her grandsons' school fees

Church authorities told mid-day that they lowered the rent despite the church incurring a huge loss due to expenditure on infrastructure. "We followed the due procedure for allotment. We had a criterion of one person, one stall so any adult from the same family could get it. Even earlier there were incidents of subleasing," said Fr Sundar Albuquerque, vice-rector of the church.

Kiran Kolate, 62, who had been selling plastic toys at the fair for 26 years, said, "After 23 days of protesting peacefully, we are feeling helpless. The earnings from the fair help me to pay my grandsons' school fees. Other needy stall operators like me are now trying to take stalls on a sublease basis from the lottery winners."

How events unfolded

August 11 Former stallholders protested against a proposal to hike the rent tenfold this year and did not allow forms to be distributed. The church, however, clarified that this is a way to recover the costs of improving infrastructure.

August 13 After rounds of meetings, the church offered to lower the rent by 20 to 33 per cent. The highest rent was lowered from R3,000 to R2,000 per sq ft. Subsequently, the lowest rent - Rs 1,250 - was reduced to Rs 1,000 per sq ft. But the protesters did not agree to this, demanding that the old stall-allocation system be followed.

August 14 All rent slabs were slashed from Rs 3,000 to Rs 900. As opposed to the previous system, the church opted for unified rates and announced they could not lower the rent further. However, stallholders were still not satisfied.

August 22 After 12 days of protest, in a letter to the acting rector and vice-rector of the church, the archbishop said stalls should be rented out at R550 per sq ft on compassionate grounds. At the same time, the letter mentioned the process for allotment via lottery, as followed last year, was to be carried out.

August 23 The church started an online system for applying for stalls while physical forms were distributed simultaneously. No previous stallholder filled the forms in a show of unity.

August 26 The church announced lottery winners' numbers. Protesters threatened to go on a hunger strike. However, they didn't get permission from the police to carry out the stir on church premises.

September 1 Protesters tried to negotiate with church authorities but the talks failed.