Koli storm brewing: Fisherfolk plan stir over relocation bid

Mumbai's fishing community protests BMC's plan to move the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Fish Market to a basement, claiming betrayal and fire hazards.

MUMBAI: A major showdown is brewing between Mumbai’s indigenous fishing community and the BMC over the space allocated to the latter in the redeveloped Crawford Market. The BMC intends to relocate the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Fish Market to a basement in the new structure, a plan that has sparked fury among the city’s Koli fisherfolk.

Koli storm brewing: Fisherfolk plan stir over relocation bid

Led by Devendra Damodar Tandel, president of the All Maharashtra Fisherfolk Action Committee, the community, accusing the BMC of betrayal, fraud and a complete disregard for their voice and heritage, is set to launch a citywide protest. “The BMC is misleading the Koli community,” said Tandel. “In 2020, it had promised to construct a dedicated fish market building of international standards. At no point was there any mention of shifting the market to a basement.”

On Tuesday, the BMC officially made clear its plans to rehabilitate 348 licensed vendors permanently in the four-storey Crawford Market building by August. “Now, without consultation, they’ve changed the plan. A basement market poses fire hazards and is unacceptable to us,” said Tandel, adding that when the fisherfolk learned about the altered plans, they submitted written objections, categorically refusing to move into the basement space. He stressed that the BMC’s actions were in direct violation of the trust placed in it by the community.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Fish Market was part of the original Crawford Market complex until 1970, after which it was relocated to Palton Road to ease traffic congestion and avoid conflict with other commodities sold in the area. Now, with redevelopment underway, the Koli community alleges that it has been systematically sidelined, and has resolved to organise a massive protest march to the BMC headquarters to “expose the truth” and demand justice.

The agitation, being hailed as the ‘Koli Storm’, is expected to garner support from fishing communities across Maharashtra, including Palghar, Dahanu, Vasai, Uttan, Arnala, Versova, Madh, Manori, Worli, Cuffe Parade, Colaba, Thane and Raigad.

The Crawford Market basement space is just one of the several grievances that will be aired at the protest. Also on the agenda are the alleged discrimination against Koli women fish vendors in Tardeo—reportedly instigated by members of the Jain community—government-backed plans to evict over 25,000 fisherfolk from Sassoon Dock and the broader threat to Mumbai’s traditional fishing economy posed by rapid urban development.

“This is not just about market space,” Tandel emphasised. “It’s about our right to livelihood, our cultural identity and our dignity. The indigenous people of Mumbai will not sit quietly while their rights are being eroded.”

A senior civic official from the markets department confirmed that wholesale fish vendors would be shifted to the basement. “It has a proper ventilation system and follows all fire safety norms, with all fire-fighting systems in place,” he said.