Bellasis Bridge revamp: Fisherwomen will not be displaced, for now

The fisherwomen during the meeting with senior BMC officials, on Monday

The BMC on Monday assured protesting fishermen at Bellasis Road in Mumbai Central that the fisherfolk affected due to reconstruction of the bridge would be adequately resettled and would not be moved from the existing site immediately. Following the "positive assurance", the fishermen have now deferred their agitation, which was to begin on Tuesday.

mid-day had highlighted the issue of these fishermen in November 2024. The new alignment and reconstruction of the Bellasis Bridge at Mumbai Central has drawn the ire of the local fishermen community as the widened bridge will be taking over the space of a 50-year-old fish market comprising 36 fish sellers, who were to lose their livelihood.

"We had a meeting with senior BMC officials on Monday. We have been assured that the fish sellers will not be touched and that they will not lose their business. We demanded space for them at the Tardeo market building which was agreed upon by the BMC in principle," Devendra Damodar Tandel, president of Akhil Maharashtra Macchimar Kruti Samiti, said.

"Out of a total of 36 Koli women fish sellers who have been in the business for five decades, only seven women have licences and permits whom the BMC had earlier agreed to rehabilitate. The BMC has now agreed to look into the rehabilitation of other 31 fisherwomen too," he said.

"We took the stand of the Constitution to fight our case. All shopkeepers working near Bellasis Bridge have the right to earn their livelihood under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. The negligence by officials against the Koli women is a violation of the constitution. Also, as mentioned in Clause 7.9 of Development Control and Promotion Regulation (DPCR-2034), the shopkeepers and tenants who are operating on land required by railway or government and are expected to be rehabilitated suitably before making way for public and semi-public projects," Tandel said.