Home For Sale: Vegetarians Only

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed)
May 27th 2006 at 5:08PM

Mumbai is one of the most desirable cities to live in in India, with a forward-thinking population and a booming economy. As in most places, desirability also makes it expensive and family-sized apartments can sell for more than £250,000, even in the suburbs. It turns out that price is not the only barrier to finding housing. Housing associations are being set up all over the city that exclude non-vegetarians from buying flats - even if they make a higher offer than a vegetarian bidding on the same property.

Since apartments are allowed to enforce Catholic-only or Hindu-only building, judges have not sided with the omnivores when they have taken housing associations to court on discrimination charges. A supporter of the associations said he felt "vegetarians should be given the right to admit who they want."

And to think: some people in the US complain about how their housing association picks out the exact color of pots they can use in the front yard and determines the appropriate style of front door knocker. At least they're not (yet) making lifestyle choices for the families who live there. It does beg the question about what the strictest housing associations would have their residents do for the privilege of living there. Stepford wives, anyone?

Tags: discrimination, housing, housing associations, india, lifestyle, meat, mumbai, real estate, vegetarians