Mumbai: Bandra Fair row reaches cardinal

With just 3 weeks to go for fair, fracas between stall owners and Mount Mary church authorities over rents refuses to die down

Dissatisfied with the reduction in rents that must be paid to run stalls outside the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount during the weeklong Bandra fair, protesters have decided to approach Cardinal Oswald Gracias to resolve the issue. The controversy erupted on August 11 when the church started distributing forms for tendering of stalls which were run by long-time stallholders.

The stallholders claimed that the rent had been increased from Rs 15,000 for a 100-sq-ft stall in 2022 to Rs 3,00,000 this year. After they protested, the rents were cut down by 20 to 33 per cent on Tuesday and further to Rs 900 per sq ft on Wednesday after a discussion with Bishop Dominic Savio.

“Though the maximum rent has been slashed from Rs 3,000 to Rs 900 per sq ft, it is still high compared to the earlier figure. Rs 90,000 for a 100-sq-ft stall is still too high and we cannot afford it. Even the new tendering system will wipe out those who have been running these stalls for generations. So now we have decided to meet Cardinal Oswald Gracias at Colaba. Hopefully, he will resolve our issue,” said Rupesh Gomes, who is leading the protest.

Fr Sunder M Albuquerque addresses stallholders at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, on Wednesday

Fr Sunder M Albuquerque, vice-rector of the church said that though he wasn’t ready to lower the rent so much, he adhered to the decision taken at the higher level. “The rents are already slashed and they cannot be reduced further otherwise it will badly impact the recovery of costs incurred by the church on infrastructure. I hope we solve the issue peacefully and there won’t be any delays in starting the procedure of allotment of stalls,” said Fr Albuquerque. The fair will start on September 8. Every year, approximately 150 stalls are allowed to sell candles, flowers, food and toys on the steps near the basilica.

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