Mill Workers to Rally at Azad Maidan Demanding In-City Housing; Backed by Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS

Mumbai, July 9 :Thousands of mill workers from across Maharashtra are set to gather at Azad Maidan today in a major protest demanding affordable housing within Mumbai city limits. Organized by 14 organizations, including the Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh, the march is expected to begin at 11 AM and has received political backing from Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

The rally aims to highlight the long-pending demand of over 1.5 lakh mill workers and their families, who have been waiting for housing on mill lands. While MHADA has received over 2.5 lakh applications from workers and their heirs, only 25,000 homes have been allotted so far.

Workers are opposing the state government’s current proposal to shift housing projects to far-off locations like Shelu and Vangani in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), citing lack of accessibility, increased travel time, and disconnection from their workplaces. The state continues to collect consent letters for the proposed homes in MMR through private developers, further fueling worker resentment.

Originally planned between Ranibaug and Azad Maidan, the route of the march has been adjusted due to permission constraints, with workers now heading directly to Azad Maidan for a sit-in protest and public meeting.

Speaking ahead of the rally, Govindrao Mohite of the Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh criticized the government's inconsistent stance, saying the promise of in-city housing has been long ignored in favor of private redevelopment interests.

Political support from Uddhav Thackeray, who is expected to join the protest, and Raj Thackeray’s MNS, has added momentum to the movement. The Mill Workers Joint Struggle Committee has also intensified mobilization efforts, vowing to continue the protest until the government meets their core demand—housing within Mumbai itself.

The protest underscores the ongoing housing crisis for Mumbai’s working class amid urban redevelopment, and mill workers hope their long wait for dignified, accessible housing may finally receive the attention it deserves.