Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (EP)

Udupi, Jul 25: The fish market for women vendors constructed at a cost of Rs 71 lac under Kota gram panchayat limits was inaugurated in a hurry, reportedly even before its completion, on Saturday July 25, much to the dissatisfaction of fisherwomen who held a protest condemning the sudden move.

Minister of urban development Vinay Kumar Sorake inaugurated the market by cutting the ribbon.

The people's representatives together with some locals opposed the inauguration saying that the work mentioned in the budget has remained incomplete and the market is devoid of basic facilities. "The gram panchayat has all of a sudden gone ahead with the inauguration. What was the need for such a hasty inauguration without providing basic facilities?" Asked the opposition members in the gram panchayat and local BJP leaders. The protesters who had gathered in large numbers before the inauguration displayed black flags to express their ire.

The police which anticipated trouble had already deployed policemen in sufficient numbers. DySP Manjunath Shetty was personally present to control the situation.
At one stage, there were arguments between the police officials and the protesters. The police denied them permission to protest warned that they would be arrested. However, they later permitted the protesters to submit their memorandum.

When minister Sorake arrived, the protesters told him that the construction was not complete and the inauguration was being held in haste. They demanded that the fisherwomen be provided necessary facilities and the work be completed. As the minister walked past them in a hurry after listening to their complaints, there were arguments between the protesters and the police again. The inauguration was held in the presence of a handful of people.

The foundation stone for the Kota fish market was laid under the leadership of the then minister Kota Srinivasa Poojary, the fisheries federation and the coastal development authority. The work was proceeding at a slow pace. Though the work picked up speed recently due to special interest shown by Kota gram panchayat, the inauguration even before the completion of the work has created anguish among the public.

Fisherwomen not informed

The local fisherwomen complained that they were not aware of the inauguration. "There is no facility for water, and no outlet for the water to flow. There are no toilets either. The market has been inaugurated despite all these shortcomings," they lamented.

"Though the fish market has been built for women vendors, they were not informed about it," they said.

Raghavendra Kanchan said that BJP members were against the inauguration of the market till its completion. "Now they have stopped us from participating in the programme. They have snatched our democratic right. This development is condemnable," he said.