MbPA plots should be leased out only for fishing trade, demand Sassoon dock community

Mumbai's plan to lease 28 plots near Sassoon Docks raises concerns among fishermen, fearing new operators will threaten their livelihoods.

Mumbai: The Mumbai Port Authority’s (MbPA) plan to lease 28 plots of over 217 acres along the city’s Eastern Water Front has left the fishing community at Sassoon Docks concerned. The properties along the eastern coast include eight plots in the premises of Sassoon Docks, a heritage land, home to the fishing industry.

MbPA plots should be leased out only for fishing trade, demand Sassoon dock community

On Thursday, the Save Sassoon Docks Fishing Port Committee wrote a letter to the state fisheries minister Nitesh Rane and the MbPA requesting that land parcels in the Sassoon docks premises be leased out only to commercial units involved in the fishing trade.

Krishna Pawle, president of the Shiv Bhartiya Port Sena, a federation of 14 fisher associations, said, “If new people come to operate in this area, it will threaten our business. They won’t be able to work with the smell of fish around and more problems will occur.”

According to MbPA officials, only an Expression of Interest (EOI) has been invited so far. Although anyone can submit an EOI, an MbPA official said, “As per the policy, companies and industries involved in fishing trade get a 40% discount on the ready reckoner prices.”