The Mount Mary church allocated stalls for the Bandra Fair through an online auction on Monday even as the families that had traditionally rented the stalls for generations boycotted the process. They said they would gather outside the church from Tuesday to protest.
After opposition from the families to the church’s plans to increase the rent for the 147 stalls and to open the auction to the public, it was decided to take the process online. The church had accused the families of intimidating other applicants. The fair, which will be held for eight days, will start on September 8 on the feast day of Mother Mary.
The church had increased the rent for the 100 sq ft stalls from Rs 35,000 in 2023 to Rs 90,000 this year before bringing it down to Rs 55,000 after the intervention of the Archbishop of Bombay last week. The families, mostly Roman Catholics living in the area, rejected the revised rates, demanding that the rent be fixed at 2022 levels – at Rs 15,000. The families also opposed the church’s decision to allot the stalls through a draw of lots.
Father Sunder Albuquerque, vice-rector at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, or Mount Mary, said that 122 stalls were allotted through an online draw of lots and the rest through the offline process. Space reserved for about eight stalls has been set aside for fire exits. “Our only fear is that the disgruntled people will occupy the space. We will leave it to the police. We have met with the police and mentioned our concerns. We have got support from the police and the BMC,” said Albuquerque.
The families said the church’s decision has hurt them. “It is sad. Nearly 150 families had stood here for 16 days. Many were senior citizens. The church has allotted the stalls to outsiders so they can increase the rent in the future without any opposition,” said Rupesh Gomes whose family had rented a stall for generations. “The church has accused us of subletting the stalls at a higher rent. How will they know if the new allottees are not the same?”
On Monday, the police are reported to have declined to permit the families to gather outside the church on Tuesday.
