The Greater Chennai Corporation will rework the proposal to construct a fish market at riot-affected Nadukuppam due to residents’ demand to provide more vending stalls. Nadukuppam bore the brunt of the violence that erupted on the final day of pro-jallikattu protests at Marina Beach on January 23. According to locals, as the riot unfolded, Nadukuppam’s fish market on Avvai Shanmugam Salai was ransacked and set on fire allegedly by city police. Several thousand rupees worth produce was destroyed. In August 2016, the local body under former mayor Saidai S Duraisamy had adopted a resolution to construct fish markets in seven different localities in the city at a cost of Rs 10.41 crore. Nadukuppam was a part of this proposal. “The destroyed fish market did not have adequate space for vending. Our plan was to build a market with 28 vending stalls. The project had the approval of the fisheries department,” said a corporation official. The proposed market would have been 115 feet long and would cost the corporation Rs 70 lakh. However, the corporation received representation from residents asking for more number of vending stalls. “We will need to work out a different arrangement with the fisheries department. We don’t have an issue in adding more stalls. It depends on what portion of land is made available to us,” the official added. Meanwhile, the fisheries department has started work on constructing temporary vending stalls on Avvai Shanmugam Salai, opposite the damaged market. Since Sunday, the department has used asbestos sheets to construct temporary structures on the footpath. “Each stall will be about 1.2 m wide and 1.6 m long. We will make arrangements for 88 temporary stalls. This will help the families carry on with their livelihood while the department and corporation discuss on a permanent solution,” said a fisheries department official. The construction of the temporary stalls will be completed on Tuesday, he added.
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