Mumbai: Two agitations by Koli fisher women in the city Monday highlighted habitation and livelihood affecting the sons of the soil.In the first case. Koli women from Sheva village in Uran stormed Vidhan Bhavan on the first day of the monsoon session. They raised slogans to draw the govt’s attention to a rehabilitation issue that is “pending for the past 40 years”. Police detained all the women and transported them to Azad Maidan in police vehicles.In the second instance, Koli women fish vendors from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Market at Crawford Market protested against the BMC “putting pressure on them to sell fish on the footpaths.”Devendra Tandel, president of the Akhil Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samiti, appealed to civic commissioner Bhushan Gagrani to halt this relocation process. “The fishing community is protesting against the BMC’s decision to bring 348 fish vendors from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fish market, existing for five decades on CTS no. 1500 plot at Crawford Market, onto the streets. We object to relocating Kolis to new sheds on the road opposite Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Market, as footpath relocation will create major traffic congestion at Crawford Market and cause inconvenience to over 150 fish vehicles arriving daily from across the state, and thousands of fish vendors.”The Samiti’s Mumbai district president Praful Bhoir sought basic amenities in this 90,000 sq ft market that is reportedly devoid of toilets, drinking water arrangements or benches. However, when contacted, Manish Walunju, assistant municipal commissioner in charge of civic markets said that licensed vendors are being properly relocated from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Market to Mahatma Jyotiba Phule market (Crawford Market).
