In Gujarat’s Surat, a fish market named after PM Modi raises a stink
Built with assistance from the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, this is Surat's first municipal corporation-run wholesale fish market and can accommodate 80 outlets.
A proposal to name a wholesale fish market in Surat after Prime Minister Narendra Modi has run into trouble after some fish traders opposed the plan.
The Surat Fish Merchant Association inaugurated the market on Monday, naming it ‘Shree Narendra Modi Wholesale Fish Market’ with a picture of the Prime Minister on the banner. Following opposition from a section of the association’s members, the banner was covered with a white sheet on Tuesday.
Built with assistance from the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, this is the city’s first municipal corporation-run wholesale fish market and can accommodate 80 outlets.
The inauguration, however, saw a verbal duel between some members of the association and Surendra Lashkari, a member and a fish trader who has a plot in the market. “This damages the image and identity of the Prime Minister, who is a vegetarian, so I requested the association president to remove his name,” Lashkari told The Indian Express.
The covered board with Lashkari, who opposed naming the market after PM Modi, standing in front of it
Kalpesh Navsariwala, the president of the Fish Merchant Association, said, “This market was built with funds from Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, and the Prime Minister promotes fisheries under the Blue Revolution. It only gives us pride to name the market after him.” He added that he took the association’s members into confidence before proposing the name.
The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana is a scheme to bring about a ‘Blue Revolution’ through the sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector in India”.
Among the mandates of the scheme is a provision for developing “modern wholesale fish markets including supermarkets, retail fish markets and outlets, mobile fish and live fish markets so as to ensure quality and hygienic fish to the consumers”.
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With an estimated investment of Rs 20,050 crore over a five-year period from 2020-21, the scheme is implemented by the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
The Centre and the Gujarat government have each contributed Rs 3 crore to the Surat fish market, and the municipal corporation has contributed Rs 1.5 crore.
Surat Municipal Corporation’s executive engineer Rajesh Ganjawala said the association sent a proposal to the civic body a couple of days before the inauguration, suggesting it be named after Prime Minister Modi. “We have forwarded the proposal to the cultural committee. Further action will be taken depending on what this committee decides.”
The cultural committee is one of the several panels whose decisions must be ratified by the standing committee before they are moved to the general board, the municipal corporation’s highest decision making body.
Kamal Saiyed is a senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, providing extensive, on-the-ground coverage from Surat and the broader South Gujarat region and the Union territories of Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli. With a reporting career at the publication spanning back to 2007, he has established himself as a high-authority voice on the industrial, social, and political pulse of one of India’s fastest-growing urban hubs.
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Industrial & Economic Beat: Based in the "Diamond City," Saiyed offers expert reporting on the diamond and textile industries. His work tracks global market shifts (such as De Beers production changes), local trade policies, and the socio-economic challenges facing the millions of workers in Surat’s manufacturing hubs.
Civic & Infrastructure Coverage: He consistently reports on urban development and public safety in Surat, including:
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Political Reporting: Tracking the shifting dynamics between the BJP, Congress, and AAP in South Gujarat and the neighboring Union Territories (Daman, Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli).
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The covered board with Lashkari, who opposed naming the market after PM Modi, standing in front of it