Wholesale Fish Market in Surat named after PM Narendra Modi

Surat: A recently inaugurated wholesale fish market in the city has been named ‘Shri Narendra Modi Wholesale Fish Market’, with the name displayed on the signboard at Nanpura Lakkadkot.

Built at a cost of around Rs 3.90 crore, the market’s naming has sparked a dispute among a section of fish traders, who have questioned both the choice of name and the procedure followed to install the board. While some traders have opposed naming the fish market after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Surat Fish Merchant Association has defended the decision.

Fish market leader Surendra Laskari opposed the naming, saying PM Modi is known as a pure vegetarian and has never consumed seafood. He argued that naming a fish market after him was inappropriate and suggested that it should instead be named after the Kahar Machhi community, traditionally associated with the fish trade.

Laskari also alleged that the board was installed unilaterally by association president Kalpesh Navsariwala and demanded its removal.

Navsariwala, however, defended the decision, citing the Prime Minister’s contribution to the fisheries sector. He pointed to the creation of a separate fisheries ministry at the Centre and schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, which he said had supported fishermen and the sector.

Naming procedure questioned

The dispute has also raised questions over the civic procedure followed to name the market. Questions have been raised over whether a municipal property can be renamed simply by installing a signboard without approval through the appropriate civic process.

Officials said no formal municipal resolution has so far been passed to name the market after the Prime Minister.

Rajesh Ganjawala, Executive Engineer of the Surat Municipal Corporation’s Central Zone, said the civic body intervened after learning that the board was being installed.

“After we came to know that the board was being installed despite repeated objections regarding the naming, our team went to the spot to remove it. However, the team returned after local traders assured us that they would remove the board themselves,” Ganjawala told local media. DeshGujarat