“All godowns from Sassoon Dock will be evicted in the coming years for the long-term Marine Plaza project, and the redevelopment and modernisation of the fishing harbour. While the eviction of the fish traders from godown number 1773 was decided in 2014, and the fish traders had verbally agreed,” Maharashtra Fisheries Development Corporation’s (MFDC) senior officer told the FPJ.
MFDC Admits Rent Not Deposited with MbPA
The MFDC official also agreed to the total fish traders’ claims that out of the total traders evicted from Sassoon Dock last week, seven to eight of them have paid full rent to date, but the MFDC has yet not deposited the amount to MbPA. “It was already decided to clear the godown. The fish traders had agreed verbally, but there was no written agreement. The MFDC had only two godowns, and both are evicted now. The rent paid by some of the traders from godown 1773, which is with the MFDC, will be deposited to MbPA,” he said.
fish traders cleaning seafood outside godown after eviction |
fish traders cleaning seafood outside godown after eviction |
Traders Accuse Authorities of Collusion
 (1).jpg)
President of Sassoon Dock Fish Traders Association, Krishna Pawle said, “The MbPA and MFDC are hand in glove. The MbPA is making false claims that none of us have paid rent. It is an injustice towards those who were evicted despite paying rent.”
“The authorities plan to clear all godowns under the garb of outstanding dues, for their Marine Plaza project. Our fight is not for one godown eviction, but our existence. We are the original inhabitants of Mumbai, but the authorities want to clear our existence (fishing community), who have been working here for decades,” another fish trader said.
Exports at Stake, Say Fisherfolk
The fish traders from Sassoon Dock say that the fresh seafood from the harbour is exported to countries like Japan, China and the US. “If our business is shut, it will be a huge financial loss for our community,” Pawle said.
Eviction Follows Supreme Court Directive
The MbPA last week evicted around 36 traders from godown no 1773 from the 150-year-old Sassoon Dock, following a decade-long dispute over non-payment of rent and a Supreme Court order. The MbPA said that the outstanding dues amount to Rs 120 crore and they have not received any rent despite the fish traders agreeing to pay rent for the time in 2014.
Built in the 19th century, Sassoon Dock is among Mumbai's oldest and busiest fishing harbours, is said to be currently under pressure from operations exceeding its original capacity. This has raised concerns about hygiene, odour, fish handling standards and overall safety. The fisheries and port development minister Nitesh Rane held a meeting with a delegation of Finland officials and representatives of Finnish companies at the dock to discuss strategic plans for upgrading the facility, an official press release issued in September said.
Modernisation Plans, But at What Cost?
The proposed modernisation aims to introduce modular infrastructure to address operational challenges and environmental issues, aiming to transform Sassoon Dock into a world-class, clean, efficient and sustainable harbour. However, this should not be at the cost of the original inhabitants of Mumbai, the fish traders say.
MbPA Says Eviction Not Linked to Redevelopment
A senior officer from MbPA, “The eviction action is taken in compliance with the 2014 Supreme Court order. Due to several administrative reasons, we could not implement the order. The rent from MFDC, as well as the traders, will be collected in due course. The redevelopment and modernisation of the dock is MFDC’s project and not MbPA,” he clarified.
The officer said that MbPA has received a letter from the state fisheries and the port development ministry to hand over Sasson Dock for operations and maintenance; however, no reply from the central government authority has been given yet.
