Sassoon Dock battle continues: Fishing community to go on hunger strike from December
Members of a fish traders association demonstrate against the eviction drive carried out at Sassoon Dock by the Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA), in Mumbai.
| Photo Credit:
–
Holding a piece of Mumbai’s history, the Sassoon Dock, which serves as a prominent fishing dock, is in the middle of a controversy. Fishing traders at the 150-year-old Sassoon Dock are preparing to go on a hunger strike from December as the Mumbai Port Trust (MPT) continues with eviction proceedings.
Built in 1875, Sassoon Dock is one of the oldest fishing docks in Western India and supports a population of 1 million people. The dock is a critical part of the fishing industry as it caters to the domestic and export supply from Maharashtra and includes the entire supply from fishermen to the transport of fish and prawns.
Hub for seafood trade, Sassoon Dock, which was purchased by the British government, is managed by the Mumbai Port Trust. The dock is particularly crucial for the city’s first fishermen — the Koli community. The dock houses 80 godowns that are used to store, clean and pack fish and prawns. The MPT has evicted tenants over the last six months and is planning to lease the godowns to new occupants at revised rates.
“The tussle between the State and the Central government has impacted the livelihood of 10 lakh people. It is not just the fishermen who will be impacted; the entire supply chain will be disrupted. We were given written assurances by the government earlier; however, MPT personnel still sealed godown number 1773, which houses offices, warehouses and is used for domestic and export supply. We have no other option than to protest and go on a hunger strike. We will go on a hunger strike from December,” said Krishna Pawle, President of Sassoon Dock Fish Traders Association, to businessline.
The traders’ association states that 70 per cent of the godowns in Sassoon Dock have been evicted by the Mumbai Port Trust over the years, and the remaining godowns will be vacated soon. The State government is looking to modernise the fishing harbour and implement its long-term project of a Marine Plaza in the near term.
One such eviction drive was taken on November 13, wherein the godown number 1773 was sealed by the MPT authorities. “I operate a seafood cleaning, processing and exporting unit inside the 1773 godown. My shop was sealed last Thursday without any eviction notice. We have proof that we continued to pay the rent to Maharashtra Fisheries Development Corporation, as the MPT had given them the authority to rent the space. However, all we received were assurances from political leadership, but with no resolution. Two of my fresh seafood orders were cancelled this week as the unit is sealed. We are losing business every single day,” said Irfan Khan, whose family has been doing business from the Sassoon Docks since 1990.
The Sassoon Docks Fish Traders Association on Friday wrote to the Minister of Ports Development of Maharashtra, Nitish Rane, to meet and address their grievances and problems with the business operations, which are impacting the livelihood of the community.
The association is asking the government to provide alternate land for the traders who were evicted from the Sassoon Dock.
“We are asking for is to implement what the then shipping minister Nitin Gadkari had assured us. When hawkers are rehabilitated by the municipal bodies, why is a similar plan not implemented for us? We are forced to do business on the road as the shops are sealed. When the Supreme Court verdict came in 2014, and the land was asked to be vacated in six months, we were promised alternate arrangements at Jalna, but which was also not materialised. We have nowhere to go and lakhs of livelihoods are going to be impacted,” added Krishna Pawle.
Published on November 23, 2025
