Marina Loop Road market has created more issues than solutions, rue fisherfolk

CHENNAI: The new fish market complex on Marina Loop Road has spelt trouble for the fishing community in the Nochikuppam since its conception stage. According to the fishers, what seemed like a solution for the government sprouted issues for the community in more ways than expected.

The quote from Vetrimaaran's impactful drama 'Vada Chennai', "Development at what cost. Is it at the cost of our livelihood?" seems to echo in many coastal communities in Chennai as new fish market complexes are in the works.

When DT Next visited the coastal hamlets of Nochikuppam, Kottivakkam and Besant Nagar, the fishermen expressed reservations about the new market facilities.

Beautification of the city is one of the government and civic body's passionate projects, and part of the project is to shift the fish sellers, some even generational, along the roads to the market complexes erected by the Greater Chennai Corporation.

The Loop Road, once an alternate route along Kamarajar Salai towards Pattinapakkam, is now the main path. Following the Madras High Court order that the roadside fish stalls cause congestion, more than 300 fish vendors were moved to the new market. With no option other than the shift, many sellers sustained severe hits to their businesses and moved to the complex in the last couple of months.

In its reverberation, GCC kickstarted the process of bringing two new market complexes - one along the East Coast Road in Kottivakkam and the other at Besant Nagar.

The Kottivakkam complex is being constructed for Rs 62.5 lakh from the parliamentary fund for South Chennai.

In contrast to Loop Road, the Kottivakkam complex is indeed a long-standing demand for fisherfolk there. However, they have been dissatisfied with the location of the market and stall allotment. Hence, the community now urges the local body to build shelters along the platforms where they have already set up shop.

Kamala, a fish vendor in Kottivakkam, cites the prominence of Kasimedu and Pattinappakkam as the hubs for seafood purchase that people will seek them even if they are in a closed market and says such is not the case for Kottivakkam.

"We are happy that the government is constructing a fish market for us, but they have not consulted before identifying the place or allotting stalls for the vendors on the roadside. The situation is different here as only those who pass through the road purchase fish, unlike other markets in the city," she said.

The hawkers lament that the unsold fresh fish that can be sold as dried fish after two or three days may no longer be a solution for them as people may not seek them out if they move to the market.

Even the residents of Kottivakkam raised concerns about the ongoing construction of the new fish market as it blocks a residential road and does not have direct access to the main road. The fish market is also being constructed close to a temple, leading to more objections.

"We urge the civic authorities to relocate the new fish market since they are unhappy with the decision of the construction next to the temple," said J Karthik, a Kottivakkam resident.

The situation in Besant Nagar is the most recent, with the tender for the modern fish market complex being floated only in October. The market worth Rs 94.35 lakh will come up at Besant Nagar 6th Avenue from the parliamentary fund for Adyar zone (Zone 13).

An Ururkuppam-based fisherman, S Palayam, told DT Next that the area has been seeing fish vendors selling at the roadside for four to five generations and has faced no problems until the recent intervention of the Corporation to build the market.

"We sell fresh fish caught immediately, which stays fresh for at least two days. But when we settle in the closed market, the fish will get spoiled within a few hours due to closed space and heat through the roof," he said

"We don't need an effluent treatment plant to treat the wastewater from the seafood items, and it is not hazardous to the environment when it flows into the sea itself. However, if the same situation prevails inside the market, it becomes toxic waste," Palayam elaborated.

He echoed the Kottivakkam hawkers' request for shelter for the already existing shops in the area to aid their livelihood instead of spending money on the new complexes.

K Bharathi, president of the South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association, reiterates the appeal to include the fisher community in the dialogue when the Chennai Corporation makes decisions on issues concerning them.

It is one of the long-standing demands to construct markets, but instead, they build additional stalls in a congested place, which leads to dull sales, he rued. Bharathi kept forth a solution: "The authorities should conduct a study on the feasibility of the stalls for the vendors because they are aware of the space required at the market. Fishermen do not require a modern market with lighting and treatment plants; a small shed is quite enough for their business."