MUMBAI: The Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA) has clarified its stance regarding the ongoing eviction of the tenants of godowns at the historic Sassoon Dock, stating that it has no direct involvement with the occupants, who are sub-lessees of the Maharashtra Fisheries Development Corporation (MFDC).
The port authority’s primary objective is the recovery of dues worth ₹115 crore pending from MFDC for over two decades, said a senior MbPA official, requesting anonymity as they aren’t authorised to speak to the media. MbPA is only implementing a 2014 Supreme Court order, which directed the godowns to be vacated and returned to the authority, the official said, adding that the port authority is not independently initiating any eviction.
The clarification came two days after the MFDC allegedly cut off electricity and water supply for about four hours on August 5, impacting shrimp peeling operations—the latest escalation in a rental dispute that has been ongoing for at least 30 years at the nerve centre of Mumbai’s fish trade.
The MFDC has demanded that Sassoon Dock tenants pay rent at the current Ready Reckoner rates, which the fisher community has claimed is unaffordable. In June, the authority issued a verbal notice to fish traders and cold storage godown operators at the dock to vacate the premises within 15 days or face eviction.
Days later, state fisheries and ports development minister Nitesh Rane said in the legislative council that the state government is working with the MbPA and the MFDC to resolve the dispute. However, on July 23, an MbPA team, backed by the police, showed up at the dock in a bid to force the evictions, but they faced fierce resistance from around 2,000 fishers.
In the latest escalation, Krishna Pawle, president of the Shiv Bharatiya Port Sena, said, “On Tuesday evening, MFDC abruptly cut power to the Sassoon Dock godowns, halting prawn processing and causing major losses to fishermen while their own office remained unaffected. Their staff claimed it was on orders from [MFDC] managing director Mr [Avinash] Pathak.”
Pawle, who claimed that he confronted MFDC officials and refused to leave until the electricity was restored, added, “This move goes against minister Nitesh Rane’s promise in the council to support the Sassoon Dock fishing community. Is this the government’s idea of support? While MbPA tries to evict us with police protection, MFDC targets us by cutting off power.”
The incident prompted Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray to raise the issue with Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal.
When asked about the electricity disconnection, the MbPA official stated that the authority did not issue directives to either the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking to cut utilities. The decision, they said, was taken solely by MFDC, possibly due to its own disputes with the sub-tenants.
Responding to concerns that the evictions would impact the livelihoods of thousands, the official said that only two out of the 40 godowns have been affected. “One godown, No 158, was taken over a month ago, while another, No 1,774, is being vacated now after 15 years of legal proceedings following the Supreme Court’s 2014 order,” the official said, adding that political intervention has delayed evictions in the past.
“The port authority recently renovated two sheds for fish sales to support the community. These upgraded facilities are still in use, and fishing activities at Sassoon Dock will continue unaffected,” the official said. He also stressed that the area remains a traditional fishing harbour and the port authority has no plans to use the land for any other purpose.
MFDC, in turn, has claimed that its sub-tenants have not been paying rent, leaving the corporation unable to meet its obligations to MbPA. MFDC managing director Avinash Pathak earlier confirmed to HT that verbal notices had been issued to the godown occupants, instructing them to vacate in accordance with the Supreme Court’s 2014 ruling.
He had further explained that MFDC’s appeal to the court had been rejected in 2017, and that the Maharashtra government had since directed the corporation to hand over the godowns to MbPA. That process, he confirmed, is now underway.