Bandra Fair’s rent hike row reaches stalemate; stallholders boycott form distribution

A meeting held on 19 August to address the ongoing row over the allocation of stalls along the Mount Mary Basilica pathway for the upcoming Bandra Fair from September 8, concluded in a stalemate. As a result, protestors have decided to boycott the distribution of stall rental forms completely.

What’s at the heart of the dispute?

The cost of renting a stall at Mount Mary Basilica has incrased—initially by 400%, and later adjusted to a 53% increase. Despite this reduction, many sellers still find the new prices prohibitively high. Additionally, they have opposed replacing the custom of allocating the stalls to those, whose previous generations participated in the fair, with a draw.

Local families who rent stalls every year have been noted saying, "the money we make during the fair feeds us the entire year. The rent for the stalls, each around 100 sqft, has been increased to ₹90,000 this year from ₹35,000 in 2023 and ₹15,000 in 2022. Meanwhile, the church justified the rent hike, saying that it needs revenue for infrastructural improvements."