With just a day to go for traditional fair, old stall owners say announcement came too late
The Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, around which stalls have sprung up, on September 1. Pic/Ashish Raje; Stall owners protest against the tendering system introduced last year on August 11
While just one day remains for the Bandra fair, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount’s authorities on Thursday invited online applications for a second round of stall allotments. Long-time stallholders refrained from filling out forms during the first round in a show of unity.
ADVERTISEMENT
The protesters alleged that the rent imposed by the church is too high and respondents are reluctant to pay it even after being allotted stalls.
In a note put up on September 5, signed by Fr Vernon Aguiar, the church mentioned that applications were open for 35 to 40 stalls at the rate of Rs 550 per square foot, excluding taxes. Applications were to be submitted by 12 noon on September 6. The drawing of lots will take place at the basilica at 2 pm on Saturday.
Former stallholders protest against the rent and new tendering system at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount
Though the process for allotting stalls started one month ago, the row between previous stallholders and the church delayed it. 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 reduced the rent from Rs 3,000 to R550 per sq ft, excluding GST, they didn’t agree to the second demand. The church started an online system for applying for stalls on August 23 despite strong objections from former stallholders. The latter then refused to fill up forms as a show of protest. After three days, the church announced lottery winners’ numbers on August 26.
Fr Sunder M Albuquerque, the vice-rector of the church, told mid-day last week, “Out of 150 stalls, we received 122 forms including 118 online. Still, a few stalls remained with us.”
ProtesterSpeak
Priya Bale, a previous stallholder, said, “We had been requesting the church to heed our demands for so long, but our pleas fell on deaf ears. Now, they have come with a second lottery. Sorry, it is too late.”
“This is very, very short notice. One cannot prepare in half a day. Sunday is the feast day—one of the most important days for business,” explained Sashant Abreo, another traditional stall runner.
Rupesh Gomes, who led the protesters, said, “This is the first time in history where people have refused to take stalls. This is because they found that R550 plus GST, which comes up to R650 per sq ft, is too expensive. We were trying to make them understand that last year, R350 per sq foot was also expensive for us. That’s why we were requesting for the archdiocese to let both parties sit at the table so everyone could gain a better understanding. But they were just imposing their decisions.”
The issue
The controversy erupted on August 11 over the tenfold increase of rent by the church and the new tendering system to allot stalls via a lottery system. The rent for stalls was around R250 per sq ft for eight days in 2022. Last year, the church increased it to R350 per sq ft, which stallholders agreed to pay. The protesters demanded that the rent be slashed and stalls allotted only to traditional stall operators instead of resorting to a new tendering system.
Church authorities told mid-day that they lowered the rent despite the church incurring a huge loss due to expenditure on infrastructure. They even requested the protesters to fill out the applications for stalls through a tendering system.
August 11
Day controversy erupted
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
