Mumbai: Poor response for stall auction at Bandra Fair at Mount Mary

BrihanMumbai Municipal corporation (BMC) got a poor response to the auction which it had organised for the first 20 stalls near Mount Mary church. According to Vinayak Vispute, Assistant Municipal Commissioner (AMC) of H West ward, only 10 stalls have been auctioned so far and Rs. 1 lakh 1 thousand is the highest bid received for one stall. Apart from the first 20 stalls, BMC also invited bids for the remaining 400 stalls.

The auction of these stalls will be conducted on Thursday, August 8. Vispute further said that "We will also auction the remaining 10 stalls which are near to the church along with the other 400 stalls."

Vispute said, "We had a meeting with church management, local MLA,MP, DCP zone 09, and fire brigade people for the smooth management of the fair. We have planned to install 80 CCTV cameras in the area. We also repair roads and fill up potholes. We will also set up booths for coordination between the BMC and police. Because lakhs of people will visit the fair, CCTV arrangements will also be made. People will be deployed to lift garbage. Water tanks will also be there for the fire brigade and for drinking purposes. "

The Eknath Shinde-led government has lifted all the COVID-19 restrictions on the celebration of festivals. After Dahihandi, the Ganesh festival is being celebrated enthusiastically in Maharashtra. Mount Mary's fair, which is also known as Bandra fair, is going to be celebrated from September 11 to September 18 at Bandra.

During the fair, many stalls will be erected around the Mount Mary church. BMC has issued an advertisement and appeals to interested bidders to enter into the bidding process for stalls. Like every year, BMC has also opened bids for the first 20 nearest stalls. This year, BMC has increased its base price from 84 thousand to 97 thousand.

In the past, many bidders had even bid up to Rs. 1,25,000 to get one stall in the first 20. This year, the festival will be celebrated on the second Sunday of September. The Mount Mary Festival has more than 100 years of tradition. This fair is attended by people of all faiths, not just Christians. The fair has a big attraction among Mumbaikars.

Mount Mary Fair has also been called "Bandra fair." Every year, 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh devotees visit the Bandra fair every day. Hence, there is competition among people to erect stalls in the area. It has been noticed that around 430 stalls of candles, flowers, food, toys, and artificial jewellery are set up during the fair. There are high court guidelines for the stalls.

Accordingly, the BMC kept 260 stalls for local residents and allowed outsiders to bid on the remaining stalls. Bidding generates more than 30 lakhs in revenue for BMC each year. In the year 2019, BMC kept 84 thousand as a base price for the first 20 nearer stalls. But this year, that base price has increased. For the first 20 stalls, the BMC will now charge Rs. 97,437 per stall. Only religious books and other religious materials are sold from these stalls. Similarly, BMC has increased its base price from 1800 to 2250 this year for the remaining 400 stalls.