People waiting outside the cafe on a Saturday night.
Patrons of Mumbai's Iconic Café Mondegar in Colaba are visiting their favorite hangout place in droves, fearing it may be soon forced to shut. Huge crowds were seen waiting outside the cafe on Saturday evening even as the place was packed to its full capacity.
The café is known for cartoonist Mario Miranda's works which adorn its walls and also for its vintage jukebox among other things.
Even as the place has become a part of Mumbai's culture, the Mumbai Port Trust, which owns the building housing the cafe, has served an eviction notice to all tenants of Metro House building in Colaba including the Cafe Mondegar for criminal violations of the lease agreement.
One patron, who has been visiting the cafe for years, told NDTV, "It will be very sad if this place has to shut down. It's a part of Mumbai's culture and they should sort out their legal issues and continue to run the place."
Another regular visitor of the café said, "Mumbai has so many illegal buildings. If they can regularize them, they can regularize this iconic place too. Even if it means paying a fine or something, Mondegar should not have to shut."
23 other shops, which the Port Trust describes as illegally occupied including a Mc Donald's outlet, Hotel Regal Plaza and Metro Shoes, have also been asked to vacate.