Alleging problems with fish market complex in Pattinapakkam, vendors move stalls to premises’ parking lot

Chennai fish market complex faces overcrowding issues, leading to vendors encroaching on parking area, causing chaos and complaints.

In just over 110 days after the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) inaugurated the modern fish market complex in Pattinapakkam, vendors abandoned the designated stalls and began occupying the 3400 sq.m parking area on the premises. GCC supervisors for the project said they were in talks with the vendors about an alternative arrangement.

The Madras High Court on April 11, 2023, directed the GCC to evict all the fish stalls that had encroached on Loop Road. By mid-October 2024, the civic body evicted over 300 shops.

Vendors alleged that the smell of raw seafood in the market was stronger than when they had their shops on Loop Road. “Shops there were spaced out. Crows used to eat the dried fish. Here, the shops are tightly packed, and waste accumulates in the bins outside,” they alleged.

A customer, who is a Central government official, said that on Sundays, when there was a heavy crowd, the issues only worsened, with many vehicles end up being parked on the road. Chitra Joseph, another customer, said the heat in the parking area was unbearable for customers and vendors.

According to a 55-year-old vendor at the market, around three of them first moved their shops to the parking area over two months ago. “Then, entire rows shifted,” he said, alleging that when shops were on the beach, there were no front or back rows. “Now, business has become more competitive. Some vendors get regular customers, but most just buy fish from those at the front rows,” he alleged.

Vendors bought their own umbrellas and drinking water for shops in the parking lot, despite a well-shaded, 4644.68-sq.m vending area with 360 stalls being set up by the GCC at a cost of ₹14 crore. Some shopkeepers alleged that the design of the vending area had become a problem.

They alleged that vendors who had been allotted stalls in the first of the four rows did good business, while the ones further back saw hefty losses. “Prices had been lowered, yet, vendors in the middle rows like me struggled to find customers. We used to make about ₹10,000 a day. Now, not even ₹5,000, which is a huge loss as seller commissions and transport costs from Kasimedu must be met. Adding to our woes, fights over space break out constantly, which was less of a concern on the beach,” alleged one of the vendors.