Pal Pariawala, Mumbai Uncensored, 10th July 2021:
A PIL was filed by Asagar Abbas Shaikh, a fish trader, pointing out the precarious condition of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fish market building, and requesting a temporary shift to Airoli Naka market. The plea stated that the upper floors of the building were demolished in 2016 while the fish market continued to function. On Wednesday’s hearing, Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish S Kulkarni said, “In such a case, the concerned officers of the Municipal Corporation, as well as the mayor and the relevant corporator, would expose themselves to civil and criminal liability”. The court also stated that BMC would have to take full responsibility in case any ceiling collapses result to casualties. Anil Sakhare, a senior counsel representing BMC said that they have plans to shift the fish traders in phases, “The situation is not that bad as projected by the petitioner so as to warrant immediate removal of all the fish traders and people associated with such trade” he added.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fish market is the city’s only wholesale seafood civic-run market in South Mumbai and used to record a daily turnover of anywhere around Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore, but it suffered a great loss due to the lockdown. It forced a lot of traders to go out of business. It is clear that this fish market plays a crucial role in providing a means of livelihood to a lot of traders.
