Fed up with bargaining over prices with local fish sellers? Soon you may have a mobile fish stall selling a range of seafood including sardines, seer, pomfret, prawns and mackerel coming to your area.
The Fisheries Department recently launched a vehicle (a mobile stall) that sells fish at SAF Games Village on all days except Fridays from 8 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.
Three more such vehicles are to be launched within a week’s time, said an official. The vehicles can carry up to one tonne of fish but currently carry around 250 kg. Fresh fish will be cleaned and provided, ready to cook at an additional cost of Rs. 10.
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The bodies of the vehicles were modified and facilities such as a 200-litre water tank, a drainage collection tank, a display unit, ice storage, a cutting and cleaning table, wash area, a billing machine and weighing machine were installed in them.
The mobile stalls will serve in areas including Anna Nagar and Mogappair, Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Velachery and Sembakkam. The department is also in the process of identifying potential routes.
“Our fish are fresh, procured directly from fish-landing centres, are hygienically processed and priced reasonably. If customers tell us a day in advance, we can provide the required variety and in large quantities. From last month, we have launched bulk sales for school and college hostels. They find it easy as we clean the fish and door-deliver it. We also deliver cleaned fish as well as fish preparations for functions,” said an official.
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A total of 13 vehicles for the State, including five for Chennai, were procured. With this, the department has revised its fish sales target from 315 tonnes to 450 tonnes for the year 2012-13 for Chennai.