Mumbai Society Cuts Watchman’s Salary After Neighboring Buildings Object, Sparking Outrage

A Reddit user shared a story about how his housing society first raised their watchman’s salary but later took it back due to complaints from neighboring buildings.

Salary Increase and Rollback

The society initially increased the watchman’s salary from ₹12,000 to ₹16,000 per month in a recent meeting. The watchman was happy with the raise and told his fellow watchmen in nearby buildings. Seeing this, other watchmen also asked their societies for a similar increase, which led to complaints from residents.

Residents from other buildings pressured the society to withdraw the salary hike because they didn’t want to increase their own watchmen’s pay. After the pressure, the society reversed its decision and brought the salary back to ₹12,000.

My society increased watchman’s salary and were then pressurised to take it back
byu/That-Replacement-232 inmumbai

Social Media Reactions

The story sparked outrage online, with many criticizing the rollback and pointing out how unfair it was.

Some Reddit users were shocked at how low the original salary was, especially in a city like Mumbai.

One person commented:
🔹 “The same people earning over ₹1 lakh a month would be upset if their own salaries increased by just 5%.”

Another asked:
🔹 “How does anyone survive in Mumbai on just ₹12,000?”

A user pointed out:
🔹 “That extra ₹4,000 wouldn’t have affected residents much, but it would have made a huge difference in the watchman’s life.”

Viral Discussion on X (Twitter)

The debate also spread to X (formerly Twitter), where people criticized the decision.

One user wrote:
🔹 “This is heartbreaking. The ‘gated society’ culture brings out the worst in people.”

Another remarked:
🔹 “One society increased a watchman’s salary, and others forced them to roll it back. That says a lot about our society.”

The incident has started a larger conversation about social inequality and how difficult it is for low-income workers to get fair pay.