Chennai: NGT seeks report on illegal fish market in Chintadripet

CHENNAI: Chennai’s iconic 203-year-old Chintadripet fish market is functioning from an unauthorised complex and has no trade licence, Greater Chennai Corporation told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Southern Zone.
“If it is not legally permissible then what is the action taken to remove such illegal activity,” NGT questioned the corporation and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) while giving them a month to submit a report on possible pollution at the site.
The petitioner S Ranjith Fernando said the fish market, run by a political leader, with 19 shops and spread over 9,600sqft was not maintained properly with no mechanism to dispose and treat water and fish waste. Odour from the market affected the surrounding air quality, he said.
The petitioner said vendors use nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that will have an adverse impact on the quality of water and soil if discharged untreated.
Last December, TNPCB inspections revealed that waste generated while cleaning fish and prawn were manually collected and stored in plastic bins which were later collected by the corporation.
Water was let into sewer lines and bleaching powder was used to disinfect the area, TNPCB said.
The corporation said the market building had no approved plan and owners/occupants did not submit copy of the plan as directed by courts in the past.
“So it is to be treated as unauthorized construction. It is revealed that shop owners do not have licences... There was no maintenance of the building and it is not in good shape and condition despite warnings from sanitary inspectors to maintain hygiene,” the corporation added.
The fish market association represented by its head D Y Mohammed Saliha requested an alternate place to run the market.
The case will again be heard by NGT on March 18.