Five watchmen at the Tower of Silence, a part of the Doongerwadi complex at Malabar Hill, have been struggling to survive owing to their salaries being delayed for the past four months. Yazdi Desai, chairman of the Bombay Parsi Punchayat (BPP) has cited cash flow problems for the delay and said that the dues will be cleared soon. The watchmen, each of whom gets around R8,000 a month, are, however, finding it difficult to make ends meet.

Their anguish stems from non-payment of salary dues for the past few months. Shivaji Atmaram Aghavane, 68, explained, "I have not been paid since June this year. My salary is R8,000 a month. I have been working at the Tower of Silence for two years. We are only being given assurances by the contractor and I work a 12-hour shift daily," said Aghavane who lives on the premises like the other watchmen. "We are five watchmen here," he added.