VELLORE: For two years now, the fish market in Vellore has been considered for relocation, an issue that began during the last regime. The market, currently located near the old bus stand in front of Vellore Fort, has been functioning at this venue for over 60 years. It is the biggest such market after Chennai, and meat products are sent to neighbouring districts from here.The market is spread over an area of one acre. There are around 116 shops in the market - about 50 fish shops and 40 chicken shops The remaining sell eggs, mutton, meat and so on. Over 1,000 persons from other parts of Vellore and Tiruvannamalai travel to the market daily to work. An average of 20,000 kg of fish approximating Rs 30 lakh and 12,500 kg including chicken and mutton of Rs 25 lakh are sold at the market every day.Since it is situated in the heart of the town, passers by have often complained of the foul smell emanating from the market. Officials in the Vellore Corporation therefore allotted Rs 40 lakh to construct a building in Makhan on the Bangalore bypass road, at the north side of the Vellore Fort and one km from the present location.Joint secretary of the Vellore District Fish, Mutton, Chicken, Dry Fish, Eggs Market Association, Althaf says, “The officials consulted with us before the construction of the building, during the last government. As the new building has been planned on the main road, the vehicles en route would go in a high speed, so we had requested for a parking lot to upload and unload the goods and to park the vehicles of the public. We also asked for a cold storage facility at the site. With our consent, a plan with underground parking facility, a fish market on the first floor, and chicken and mutton markets on the second and third floors was created. However, no such facilities were built in the new location.”He also said very few shops were built at the new venue and only fishmongers were asked to shift. We are therefore not ready to shift and the building has been left unused, he said. After the change in the government, the new mayor, Karthiyayini, had allotted Rs 25 lakh to renovate the building, but even that will not meet our requirements, he added.There is also talk that a commercial complex is going to be raised at the current location, which is impossible, the sellers at the market claim. Officials say that the archaeology department didn’t permit them to build so many floors at the new building as it is next to the Vellore Fort. “If this is the case with at Makhan, how will the archaeology department give permission to raise a commercial complex at the current location, as this is situated in front of the Fort?” the sellers asked.The sellers also say that business would reduce if they shift the location. The market is currently located in the commercial area along with the vegetables and fruits market, provision stores, textile areas and mandis. If the meat market alone is shifted, they say they will suffer a huge loss.The corporation officials had never taken any steps to clear the waste at the old market till date, they say. We spend between Rs 35,000 and Rs 40,000 to get labourers to clean the place and are ready to spend even more on garbage clearing, they add.The association members had submitted a petition 10 days ago to the mayor requesting her to allow them to carry their business in the current place. Residents in Makhan are also against the shifting of the market. Meanwhile, the new building constructed at a total cost of Rs 65 lakh remains unused for over two years.
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