Go fish

The wholesale fish market that opens twice a day between 5 am to 9 am and 2 pm to 5 pm is a reason for many to postpone their appointments and sleeping hours and move out on a fish-shopping spree. 8220;This is one of the biggest fish markets in the city and the only one where you get all varieties of fish. The major reason why more and more people have started coming here is because, this market which was earlier open to retail suppliers only has now been made open to public. For instance we would earlier sell fish to retailers in bulk and thus could afford to sell it at cheaper rates. But now, at the same reduced rates we also sell lesser amounts of fish to individual customers for domestic use,8221; says Mayur Phatale, supplier.

8220;To give you an example, the surmai fish that is normally available in the outside market for Rs 200 per kg, we sell it between 170 to 180 depending upon the stock,8221; says Lokesh Pardeshi, shopkeeper. It is this added advantage that has made this market a must-visit for visitors from places like Katraj, Pimpri, Chinchwad, Yerawada and almost all the corners of the city.

With over 60 to 70 shop owners selling variety of fish ranging from surmai to rawas and from bombil to bangda. 8220;There have been funny incidences where we have even got dolphins in the lot. That is however a mistake of the suppliers and we click their photos and send them back,8221; adds Phatale. A must visit for all the fish lovers in the city, the market gets a fresh stock of fish every day from places across the coastal line like Kolkata, Chennai, Konkan, Goa, Kerala, Karnataka and so on. 8220;I individually sell over 600 kilos of fish every day. We get these fish in 15 parcels from various parts of the country. Considering the fact that there are over 60 sellers in the market, the average turnover of the market is over Rs 10 lakh,8221; says Mohanlal Pardeshi, chairman, fish market.

Pardeshi who has been associated with the market for the past 40 years further adds, 8220;In the last 40 years, the flow of customers has definitely increased. But along with that what also needs to be updated are the facilities provided. We need to concentrate more and more on cleanliness and hygiene, and I hope that the government takes some measures to make the biggest market, even the cleanest one.8221;