Sassoon Docks, located in Colaba in South Mumbai, were built in 1875 by Albert Abdullah David Sassoon. Initially a private enterprise, the Docks were later taken over by the Bombay Port Trust (BPT). This docking facility located by the Arabian Sea has been providing employment directly or indirectly to thousands of people. Moreover, it has brought lakhs of rupees worth of foreign exchange into the country and provided fish to the local population as well.
Despite the massive economic contribution of the Sassoon Docks, the people working here have no economic security nor an infrastructure which supports their work.
Who are the people working here?
The fishing trade employs people with varied skill sets, from the fisherfolk or the kolis, water suppliers to those who export the fish. While the kolis bring the catch in, people from the Banjara community peel and clean the fish. After this it is packed into ice, which brings in another set of people into the picture—ice suppliers.
Then it is transported for consumption or to factories in far off places like Thane and Taloja where it is prepared for export. The link in this chain are the fish traders like me. Then there are other skilled workers like net makers. All these people contribute to the complex ecosystem which is the fishing business.
Poor infrastructure at Sassoon Docks
It is expected that a place which employs so many people will have basic infrastructure to make their working experience safe and comfortable. But that is not the case at Sassoon Docks.
The reason for this is the legal tangle in which the Docks are caught. The land legally belongs to the BPT, and despite various factions of the workforce having worked here for years, BPT is not ready to transfer tenancy rights to them. This deadlock means any infrastructure projects are stalled. BPT does not provide even basic facilities required to run a business. In fact, the people working here even have to buy water tankers for their daily use.
Cabinet Minister Nitin Gadkari addressed the workers in a meeting held at Sassoon Docks on August 8th 2014, reassuring them that their livelihoods were not under threat. He also sanctioned Rs 11 crore for the improvement of the Docks as well as a revamp of the Docks. He got new bollards for boats to be tied at the docks. He also sanctioned the building of one more shed at the new docks which will take the total number of sheds to three. This work is under progress.
Using these funds 20 toilets were constructed here, out of which only ten have been handed over to the workers to be used free of charge. This is an improvement on the previous situation when there was only one toilet run by the BPT and people had to pay to use it.
There is no medical facility within the docks, in case of any accidents. Women may need to see a doctor for their menstrual health. The private doctors in this area are so expensive that the labourers here cannot afford to go to them. In my personal capacity, I have engaged a doctor who is available to the people here for two hours daily. He treats them at no cost. But again, this is not enough.
A little while ago, the Docks also lacked basic facilities like a place for the workers to rest a while or to eat their meals. Workers were forced to sit on the side of the road where gutters overflow during the rains.
The irony of the situation is that a place had already been constructed for the workers to rest. Sudhir Mungantiwar, the Minister for Forests, Cultural Affairs, and Fisheries, Government of Maharashtra Chairs arranged such rooms to be built. Tables were placed there for people to eat their meals along with a water cooler. But unfortunately, the inauguration of the rooms was delayed for a long time. A few days ago, it was inaugurated and handed over to the people of Sassoon Docks.
The fishermen who bring their catch to the Docks hail from the Konkan and are at sea for long periods. They too need a place where they can rest before heading back. There are no refuelling or repair facilities for their boats and they have no option but to wait till the fuel truck arrives.
Threat of eviction
Although people belonging to all these professions have been working here for many years, the threat of being evicted by the BPT is always hanging over their heads. In 2008, one of the places from where many seafood traders run their business was served a notice. Godown 1773 was levied a fine of Rs 45 crore and godown 1727 was levied a fine of Rs 30 crore.
The seafood traders were not even offered an explanation of how this number had been reached. And though they were ready to pay this amount, they were told they would not be given a receipt of tax in their name as it has been BPT’s policy to not transfer tenancy rights since the British rule.
I suspect that the BPT or the then government wanted to build a boat club here and hence they served notices to sea food traders that they were trespassers, that their businesses were illegal and that they would have to leave the premises.
To find a solution to this we approached the Agriculture Ministry of the central government under whose purview came the fisheries department. We put forward our difficulties to the then Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar, who, understanding the gravity of the situation, got us a meeting with BPT officials. But nothing came of it and traders were served eviction notices again.
Expectations of workers
Sassoon Docks have continued to provide employment, and foreign exchange of Rs 1200 crore to the country for so many years. Despite this, people working here have been plagued by eviction notices and infrastructure problems. If the Docks get wiped out, it will mean loss of livelihood for many. Our demands and expectations are simple and straight. They need to be met if this historical place is to survive.