Bandra Fair authorities shift stall auction online amid boycott calls from long-term renters

The stand-off between the Mount Mary Basilica authorities and prospective stall renters has now entered its third week. Following resistance from families against the church's plans to raise the rent of stalls at Bandra Fair and to open the auction to the public, the decision was made to move the allocation process online.

The Mount Mary Church allocated stalls for the Bandra Fair through an online auction on Monday. Protesting families, outraged by the church’s decision, announced plans to go on a hunger strike on Tuesday, following the announcement of the lottery winners. However, they were not granted permission by the police to carry out the strike on church premises.

The Bandra Fair, set to begin on September 8 in celebration of Mother Mary’s feast day, will run for eight days. Of the stalls at the Fair, 122 were assigned via an online draw, while the remaining stalls were allocated offline. Notably, space for eight stalls has been reserved for fire exits, and this has been communicated to the police and the BMC.