CHENNAI: Even amidst resistance from the fishing community, the Chennai Corporation says it is determined to relocate fish vendors from the Marina Loop Road to a newly constructed complex in four months. While the civic body chief says that the fishermen groups have agreed to move once the complex is constructed, members from fishing unions told The New Indian Express that they have not. The fishermen were living in the locality and selling fish there for several decades, well before the loop road was laid.
The city corporation has renewed attempts to relocate the fishermen from the beach after recent observations by a bench of the Madras High Court on beautifying the beach. The court also insisted on relocating the fishermen. The court had also asked the City Corporation Commissioner and the Police Commissioner to take morning walks alongside the beach and loop road to ensure the place was well maintained and free of encroachments.
Addressing reporters at the loop road on Friday, after a morning walk there along with the police commissioner Mahesh Kumar Agarwal, city corporation commissioner G Prakash said that the complex is being constructed in a two acre land nearby with all the facilities for the fishermen designed scientifically. “Once it is done in four months, we will shift the 300 shops on both sides of the lane to the complex soon," said Prakash.
“Once this complex is constructed, we will ban selling fish alongside the loop road. We will take biometrics of all fish vendors and transfer them to the complex,” Prakash said.
But fishermen said that the officials are falsely claiming that they agreed to the move. “How will we give consent? We have been opposing this all along. Our request has always been for the authorities to create safer ways for us to sell fish along the road itself. No one has given consent,” said a senior union member, on condition of anonymity over fear of police action.
The union member said that the previous city police commissioners and corporation commissioners too made attempts to convince them but it is not feasible for them to move away from the road.
The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 states that natural markets where street vendors have conducted business for over fifty years shall be declared as heritage markets and vendors in such markets shall not be relocated.
“If the corporation builds a safe fishing space for us outside the road, it won’t cause any disturbance to the traffic,” the fishermen said.
While the fishing community has not yet come on board, the corporation hopes to beautify the beach front by early 2021.
Prakash said each shop in the complex will be spacious with adequate storage space and display area for advertising the names of the fish, giving a hygienic and pleasant experience for customers.
“The complex also comes with parking space with the capacity to park 400 two-wheelers and 89 four-wheelers,” he said.
Prakash claimed that there have been traffic issues on the loop road when the fishermen sell fish on both sides of the lane. “Coastal regulation clearance work too is 80 percent over and soon, the work will be done. Over time, people can enjoy the beach front and preserve nature,” he added.
Union members said there would be resistance when the civic body attempts to move them from the place.