Business | A Taj of class

Why Mumbai’s old business district is so shabby

The historic home of corporate India needs sprucing up

The landmark Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, which was opened in 1903 by Tata Group founder Jamsetji Tata, in Mumbai, India, Dec. 11, 2016. The powerhouse conglomerate Tata holds a reputation as an exception to India's pervasive corruption problems, but now serious allegations of wrongdoing have been raised in the course of a nasty fight for control of the business. (Atul Loke/The New York Times)Credit: New York Times / Redux / eyevineFor further information please contact eyevinetel: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709e-mail: info@eyevine.comwww.eyevine.com — Its pickle is palace-sized, tooImage: Eyevine

Dec 15th 2022|Mumbai

Every indian business dreads waking up to a bill from the state. So too the Taj Mahal Palace. The Mumbai Port Trust, owner of the land upon which the landmark hotel sits, is demanding $92m in retrospective rent for the years 2012-22. The Taj, which is owned by Tata Group, a conglomerate, has called the demand “exorbitant and untenable” in a petition to the Bombay High Court. The claim’s size and the Taj’s prominence make the claim unique. But many tenants get similar treatment. As a result, Mumbai’s old business district, once home to many global firms, has slid into disrepair.

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “A Taj of class”