Nelpettai fish vendors stall demolition; corpn promises relocation
2
3
Madurai: Work on the 2.36-crore modernisation of the Nelpettai fish market, one of the busiest markets in the core city area, hit a brief snag on Wednesday, as vendors blocked Madurai corporation officials who arrived with earthmovers and police protection to demolish the old structure.
The officials came to dismantle the four-decade-old stalls ahead of constructing a new market complex. However, members of the Nelpettai fish market association blocked the officials, preventing the machinery from entering and bringing proceedings to a standstill for an hour.
The vendors insisted the demolition could not proceed until they were given a suitable temporary site to continue trading. "The plot offered to us near the goat-slaughter area is unhygienic and unviable," association secretary Emam Jawahar Sadiq told TOI.
"We have petitioned the commissioner asking for a location in the vicinity so that our mainly retail customers are not inconvenienced."
After talks, corporation officials agreed to defer the demolition until next week and to identify an alternative spot acceptable to the traders. "We are scouting for a place and an arrangement will be finalised shortly. The association also wants an assurance on shop allotment once the new market is built; that aspect will be examined," corporation commissioner Chitra Vijayan said.
A fish market association member pointed out that earlier proposals to shift the fish vendors to Mattuthavani were dropped after the association argued that the Nelpettai market—located within city limits—caters mainly to small, walk-in buyers and does not cause major traffic disruption. "The redevelopment is a boon, but we must be able to earn a livelihood in the interim," Sadiq added.
Local residents also welcomed the upgrade plan, describing the present market as cramped and difficult to maintain.
"Nelpettai has always been the go-to place for fresh fish, but its condition often creates inconvenience," said Naga Raj of Kamarajar Salai. "A cleaner, better-organised market will benefit both shoppers and vendors," he added.
According to corporation officials, once commenced, the project will replace the dilapidated structure with a modern facility in 10 months, designed to improve hygiene, circulation, and waste management.
**Project Highlights**
- **Project Cost:** Rs2.36 crore
- **Area:** 10,000sqft
- **Infrastructure Upgrades:**
- 42 new shops
- Separate toilet complexes for men and women
- **Timeline:**
- Work order awarded after tender process
- Completion expected within 10 months from the start date
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
How to close India's rich dad-poor dad gap
India is poised to become the world's third largest economy. Yet, behind the headlines about rising GDP lies a sobering truth: For most Indians, the economic status of their parents still defines their future. The promise that hard work and talent can shape one's destiny is not the reality for many. This is not just inequality of income, it is inequality of opportunity. Read full story on TOI+ Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Spy planes, minesweepers: Nod for 1L crore purchases
AI generated image for representation NEW DELHI: The defence ministry gave preliminary nod Thursday to three major acquisition projects and seven smaller ones, collectively worth over Rs 1 lakh crore, ranging from specialised spy aircraft and advanced minesweepers to quick-reaction air defence missiles and underwater autonomous vessels. The biggest project to get "acceptance of necessity" (AoN), which is just the first step in the long-winded procurement process, was for the indigenous construction of 12 mine countermeasure vessels for around Rs 44,000 crore, which will take almost a decade, sources told TOI. These specialised warships, each with a displacement of 900-1,000 tonne, will be capable of detecting, tracking and destroying underwater mines laid by enemy forces to choke harbours and ports, disrupt shipping and maritime trade. QRSAMs designed to intercept hostile fighters These specialised warships are crucial amid the expanding maritime collaboration between China and Pakistan. At present, the Navy makes do with just "clip-on mine countermeasure suites" mounted on some ships to plug the major capability gap. The second big project was the Rs 36,000 crore procurement of the new quick-reaction surface-to-air missile (QRSAM) systems developed by DRDO , with three regiments for the Army and three squadrons for IAF. Overall, the Army Air Defence has projected a requirement of 11 such regiments. These highly mobile QRSAMs, designed to intercept hostile fighters, helicopters and drones at ranges up to 30km, will add to the country's multilayered air defence network that played a crucial role in thwarting multiple waves of Turkish-origin drones and Chinese missiles launched by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor May 7-10 hostilities. The third major project was for three ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition & reconnaissance) planes, designed to identify and help target high-value enemy targets on ground with greater precision and accuracy by fighter jets & missiles, for around Rs 10,000 crore. These aircraft will be equipped with a wide array of indigenous sensors & systems developed by DRDO, like synthetic aperture radars, electro-optical and infrared sensors, for gathering "actionable intelligence" in real time on enemy infrastructure, build-ups and movements. Another project granted AoN was for semi-submersible autonomous vessels for ISR missions. They will be acquired under 'Make-II' category project, where prototype development is funded by the industry. AoNs were accorded for procurement of armoured recovery vehicles, electronic warfare systems and tri-Service integrated common inventory management system for better supply chain management.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
After 'good' trials, roads min junks L1 bidding mode
NEW DELHI: In a major policy change, all highway agencies under the road transport ministry, including the NHAI, will soon replace the least cost (L1) mode for bidding out works for preparing detailed project reports (DPRs) with highest technical score (T1) for companies. The agencies will fix cost for consultancy service (bid price) and companies will be selected on the basis of their technical competence and ratings based on their past performance. Officials said the experiment of only fixed cost and highest technical score for bidding out works in the NHAI has been "good" so far, since its introduction in Sept last year. TOI on Sept 8 had first reported this crucial change in bidding parameters. "The new provision of rating of bidders and assigning 30% marks for technical score will further bring quality players to bid for projects," said a senior official. The policy change gains importance considering that there has been major deterioration in preparation of project reports after consultancy firms bagged projects quoting very low and unsustainable prices. Poor project preparation impacts quality of work and results in delay in implementation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo In developed countries such as Japan and Australia, govt entities pay more attention and time to preparation for DPRs for perfect execution. Officials admitted that there have been several cases where the prices quoted for preparing DPRs was as low as Rs 70,000-Rs 80,000 per km. "At such a low cost, no one can prepare a good DPR. Field surveys cost more than such quoted price. That was the trigger for fixing the cost, which approximately comes to Rs 4-5 lakh for one km of 4-6 lane highway. This is barely 0.5% of the overall project cost. In most other countries the payment made for DPR preparation is around 10% of project cost," an official said. He added that provisions have been made where companies that have key personnel from top 50 reputed technical institutes, such as IITs and NITs, will get a better score. "So, the entire framework of technical score, including the marks for ratings, is aimed at getting serious and quality players to bid for DRP works,"an NHAI official said.
