Corporation’s plan to construct modern fish markets remains on paper

Even though the city has major fishing harbours and a large number of fishermen, there were not enough fish markets to sell the catch. According to fishermen associations, the Chennai Corporation had proposed the construction of 25 fish markets at various places in the city.

However, the civic body had constructed only one such market, in Nadukuppam, and even that was yet to be functional.

Fishermen said the government was not according priority to the needs of local fishermen. Private and large players were getting their demands met, they said.

K Bharathi, president of the South Indian Fishermen Association, said, “we had in 2012 submitted a petition with to the then chief minister J Jayalalithaa and subsequently, the corporation passed a resolution to construct the fish markets. However, little has been done and the officials managed to construct just one fish market.” Fishermen lacked amenities and since there were no designated markets, they were forced to sell fish by the wayside, he said. “Even the Kasimedu fishing harbour, the biggest harbour in the city, does not have proper storage infrastructure. The fisheries department should ensure the setting up of the requisite facilities,” K Maran, owner of a mechanized boat in Nochikuppam, said.

Chennai would not need to bring fish from other centres if all facilities were in place, he said.

However, fisheries officials said they had already constructed a couple of such markets and were in the process of identifying places to construct more.

A senior official in the department said, “we have sought the Corporation’s earlier proposals to prepare a blueprint and we will construct modern fish markets as promised.”