Mount Mary steps may go without stalls in this year’s Bandra fair

The tussle over the stall rates started with applications for the 150 stalls on the steps. Due to objections, the base rate was brought down to ₹900

MUMBAI: The Mount Mary Fair, known for its colourful stalls, may deviate from tradition this year. Due to a deadlock over the new rates for the stalls, there may be none on the steps leading to Mount Mary Church. The fair is to take place between September 8 and 15.

Mumbai, India - September 11, 2016: Devotees visit Mount Mary church on first day of the fair at Bandra in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, September 11, 2016. (Photo by Pratham Gokhale/ Hindustan Times) (Pratham Gokhale/HT PHOTO)

Father Sunder Albuquerque, vice-rector of the Mount Mary Basilica said that people who wanted to rent stalls were being stopped by protestors. “One person attempted to take an application form today but she was prevented by a crowd of around 50 people,” he said. “We’re keeping the application window open this week, but if we don’t receive any, we may opt to not have stalls at all.”

The tussle over the stall rates started with applications for the 150 stalls on the steps, with a base rate of ₹1,500 per square foot. Due to objections, the base rate was brought down to ₹900 per square feet. The protestors compared this to the 2022 rate of ₹290 and 2023 rate of ₹590.

Justifying the price hike, father Albuquerque explained that they had upgraded the stalls. “We are using fire-resistant material as per the BMC’s requirement, giving the stalls enclosures, electricity and security,” he said. “We’re keeping people’s safety at the forefront. In contrast, the BMC is only offering spots on the footpath.”

The BMC has separately opened applications for the 430 stall spots on the roads leading up to Mount Mary. There are 280 pitches available on Mount Mary Road and part of Kane Road to sell religious goods, and another 50 and 100 pitches on Rebello Road and St Baptista Road respectively for non-religious goods. The pitches are 1.5 by 1.5 metres, and 170 of the 430 pitches are to be publicly auctioned.

While the first 20 pitches on Mount Mary Road are being auctioned at a minimum amount of ₹1.70 lakh, the remaining 260 pitches there and on Kane Road will be given to locals who have had stalls in the previous years. The pitches on Rebello Road and St Baptista Road are available on auction, with no minimum rate mentioned. ₹2,723 is the cost for a temporary pitch permission fee.

Godfrey Pimenta, trustee of the Watchdog Foundation, said they had noticed that some people bid high prices for stalls, and later divided them into smaller stalls and sublet them for a profit. Alleging that this was done with the collusion of BMC officials, the Foundation wrote to the BMC on Sunday, asking it to prevent the subleasing of stalls and to ensure that the original bidders were sellers. It also demanded an investigation into the practice.

The Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP) has gone a step further, asking for the Bandra Fair to be closed due to its over-commercialisation. “The fair has lost its devotional colour and its connection with its historical roots, whose indigenous founders were the East Indian Samaj, comprising mostly Agris, Kolis, Bhandaris and Kunbis,” said Vicky Misquitta, vibhag sarpanch of the MGP’s East Indian cabinet. “The community now feels sidelined, as only a few stalls retain the indigenous flavour that showcases our culture, heritage, handicrafts and merchandise. Indigenous people should have access to the stalls by default.”

Misquitta echoes Pimenta’s concern of the stalls being sublet, allowing the original bidders to earn easy money at the cost of East Indians. “With the recent protests over stall rents and the Covid pandemic, we feel these are signs that the fair should be cancelled,” he said. “We have written to the archbishop of Mumbai, the rector of Mount Mary Church, the Maharashtra CM and the BMC commissioner demanding this.”