Supply of fish was disrupted at Goubert Market on Monday following a strike by fish vendors opposing the Puducherry Municipality’s move to shift them to a modern market on East Coast Road (ECR).
The fish vendors shut their stalls and staged a protest inside the market, demanding withdrawal of the decision to shift their business to ECR. For some time now, the fish vendors at Goubert Market have been at loggerheads with the municipal authorities.
After talks failed between the two parties, wholesale and retail vendors on Monday decided to shut their business. The government has been trying to shift the sale of fish from Goubert Market to the modern market constructed using funds allocated under the Tsunami Rehabilitation Programme. While the government was able to relocate a section of vendors to the complex on ECR during the peak of the pandemic, a large number were still opposed to the idea as they believed shifting their business from the heart of town would not be in their best interests.
The police and municipal authorities are keen to shift the market as part of their efforts to decongest the town. The municipality faces difficulties in the upkeep of the surroundings of Jawaharlal Nehru Street due to the fish stalls at Goubert Market.
Talks were held several times with fishermen organisations in this regard, an official said, adding that the government had planned to renovate Goubert Market under the Smart City Project.