Unhygienic conditions prevail at the newly constructed Kasivilangi fish market as retail vendors sell outside the shops. With the facility inaugurated only a week ago, officials say vendors will take time to settle.
The Kasivilangi market, located three kilometres away from the Puthur Fish Market looks not too different from the old one. The parking area is inundated with slush and mud, inconveniencing customers visiting the market to purchase fish. Drainage channels have not been constructed well and large vehicles that are parked haphazardly add to the problem. Retail vendors too, have crowded the parking area with their stalls as they have not been allotted shops.
Except for the building, the market itself does not look new at all, said P. Bharathi, a resident of Woraiyur. “We may slip and fall in the slush and mud,” she said. Not stopping with shifting the market to the new place, the civic body should ensure it proper maintenance and cleanliness, she added. The market was shifted to the new location after residents and commercial establishments in Puthur raised complaints of unhygienic conditions.
Such issues could give rise to health concerns, said N. Jamaluddin, former member, State Consumer Protection Council. “At a time when the spread the novel coronavirus is yet to be contained, unhygienic areas such as the market could cause spread of infections. Why did the civic body rush to shift the vendors even without completing the construction of a shed for them?” he asked.
Unwanted parts of the fish removed by cleaners seated on the far end of the market also gave out an unbearable stench. “In the Puthur market, we had a shelter to sit under and clean. We are unable to bear the heat and the fish starts to rot giving out a bad stench,” a cleaner woman said.
Meanwhile, speaking to The Hindu , V. Rajendran, president of the Retail Fish Vendors Association said - “The wholesale merchants are not allowing us to sell fish at any of the shops. They have occupied them and are using them as office rooms and storage areas. We are left to trade in the hot sun,” he said.
“Because of the heat, vendors are losing as much as ₹50,000 each day,” he said. “Because of the direct sun, the fish begins to rot and customers do not buy them. We have sent requests to the civic body to construct a shelter but we are yet to receive a response,” he said.
