BMC moots

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed to redevelop the Marol municipal fish market in JB Nagar as a state-of-the-art, international seafood market equipped with cold storage, waste recycling and parking facilities, an auditorium and cafeteria and separate sections for wholesale and retail customers.
The market will be developed under the aegis of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, at a cost of ₹100 crore. The BMC will provide ₹50 crore for the project from the fishermen’s development works fund, while the fisheries department under the central and state governments will pitch in with ₹30 crore and ₹20 crore (60% and 40% of the remaining amount), respectively.
“The ground-breaking ceremony for the project will be held by end of this month and the deadline for completion will be 2-3 years,” said a BMC official. The market will cater mainly to customers in the western suburbs, he added.
The site in K-East ward where the market will be developed was inspected by officials and community representatives on August 8, a senior BMC official informed the fisheries department vide a letter dated August 22, a copy of which is with HT. Those present during the inspection included the deputy municipal commissioner (improvements), assistant commissioner (markets), Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) representatives, a member of the New Delhi advisory, officials from the fisheries department, the market department and K-East ward, and members of the Marol Bazar Fish Seller Koli Mahila Sansthan.
“The market will be designed along the lines of the Waterfront Market in Dubai. It will create an environment for local fishermen, butchers, vegetable vendors and dry goods traders to grow and thrive,” said the BMC official. The state-level sanction and control committee has already approved the allocation of ₹50 crore for the market as part of the 2024-25 action plan, the official added.
The market will include a basement parking facility, a wholesale and retail fish market on the ground floor, and a Koli Bhavan/ auditorium with training facility and cafeteria on the first floor. It will be housed in an energy efficient green building, equipped with facilities to generate energy from animal and offal waste. It will also have CCTV cameras to prevent miscreants from entering the premises.