Fish vendors threaten to boycott election

COIMBATORE: Miffed with the lack of proper facilities for unorganised fish vendors at the newly opened fish market, as many as 100 of them have threatened to boycott the elections if they are not provided a proper space within the market complex near Ukkadam in the city. They have also claimed that they will try to ensure that other fish vendors in the city abstain from the elections if their demands are not met before the poll date."We are sitting in the sun and selling fish while some of the powerful fish merchants have already been allotted stalls in the new market," said P Visalakshi, a platform fish vendor.
The city corporation had relocated the fish vendors from the old fish market near Ukkadam bus stand to the new fish market last month. However, the small scale unorganised fish vendors who used to sit outside the market were also asked to stop selling fish on the foot path and outside the market building. "The old fish market was really in a bad shop and we were more than happy to be relocated into the new facility which is much cleaner and hygienic. It is also not that far away from the old location so we have not lost out any customers either," said Subair, a fish vendor who was allotted a stall in the new market.
The corporation officials had assured the platform fish vendors that they would be accommodated in the new market near the cleaning shed, and that they would be provided with some basic facilities to sprinkle water and keep the fish clean and fresh at a nominal rent of Rs 20 per day.