Chennai: Two years after the ₹9.97-crore Loop Road fish market in Pattinapakkam opened, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has decided to make layout changes to the stalls at a cost of ₹48.18 lakh as vendors stay away, citing lack of space.Three existing stalls will be merged into two larger shops to accommodate vendors inside the designated market and ensure the facility functions as intended.A GCC official said the move follows a directive from food minister and MLA P Venkataramanan to accommodate fish vendors inside the market. He has also directed vendors operating outside the market to move into the designated stalls. The minister could not be reached for comment.The modern fish market was inaugurated by then chief minister M K Stalin in Aug 2024. However, vendors did not move into the facility. Two months later, GCC evicted roadside vendors and declared the stretch a non-vending zone.The modern fish market was built with 360 stalls, each measuring 2 metres long and 1.5 metres wide, along with a separate area for fish cutting. The entire market complex spans about two acres and includes parking for 116 two-wheelers and 64 four-wheelers, spread across 2,800sqm. It also has a 40KLD effluent treatment plant and a drainage system.Vendors citing space constraints inside the stalls occupied the parking space instead. They said shops near the entrance had the advantage of more customers, while those at the back inside the market were less visible. They feared that customers might not come and were apprehensive about moving inside the market.GCC will now create 108 larger shops by expanding the existing 30-sq-ft stalls to about 50sqft. A GCC official said several vendors had been selling fish from the parking area, which lacks a drainage system, and had expressed their willingness to move inside the stalls.Fish vendors said GCC should have consulted them before finalising the original design. “We could not do business inside the stalls as there was no space to keep our ice boxes and fish. Once they finish the work, we will move into our stalls,” said Latha Velan, a fish vendor.Another vendor said that since the number of stalls would be reduced, it was unclear how all the vendors would fit into the fewer stalls.
