According to the new policy, number of stalls during the fair, to be
held in September, will reduce and those around the Mount Mary Church
will be auctioned off to outsiders, say stall owners. However, some
locals rue that the fair will lose charm if number of stalls are reduced
as it will prevent vendors from selling authentic community food items.
Advocate Shane Cardoz, a Bandra resident, said that during the fair,
since time immemorial, many vendors sell traditional home-made dishes
like vindaloo, sorpotel, fuggias, guava cheese, sausages, omelettes,
kadio bodio (a Goan delicacy), mawa pedhas and halwas from Kerala, Tamil
Nadu and Delhi.

“The stalls on the Bascillica steps have been
reduced to 40 from 80. This will dilute the tradition,” said Cardoz.
According to the draft policy’s clause 8, of the 280 pitches, first 20
pitches, near the church, will be auctioned before the fair.

“Owners do not want auctioning. Locals are not comfortable with stalls
only on one side of the road. The BMC is trying to stop the fair. It
also wants to reduce the candle and food stalls from 500 to 200,” said
Moses Miranda, a stall owner.

Daphne Warapen, chairperson of
Ambedkar Road ALM, said the fair should be extended up to Chapel Road
near St Anthony’s Old Age Home. “Stall owners earn Rs 3,000 per day on
an average during the eight-day fair. They do not have the financial
stability to bid at an auction,” said Warapen.