Fish sellers allege forced closure by MC, demand alternative site

Members of the Amritsar Wholesale Fish Association have alleged that the Amritsar Municipal Corporation sealed shops in the city’s wholesale fish market without issuing prior notices, triggering protests and raising concerns over livelihoods.

Office-bearers of the association said they had already agreed to shift their businesses outside the walled city limits, but urged the municipal corporation to allot them suitable space. The traders said they were served a notice on March 24 regarding the relocation of their trade, to which they responded in writing, expressing their willingness to comply.

However, association leaders stated that they had requested the district administration and the municipal corporation to allot a common site for all fish traders before enforcing the relocation. “We had requested that until a designated fish market is allotted outside the walled city, we should be allowed to continue operations at the existing site,” said Rajinder Kumar, a leader of the association.

The traders alleged that on April 20, MC officials sealed their shops “forcibly and without showing any sealing notice”, leaving perishable stock worth lakhs trapped inside.

Highlighting the historical significance of the market, Rajinder Kumar said the wholesale fish market has been operating for the past 70-80 years and is among the oldest in Punjab. He added that nearly 50,000 people are directly or indirectly associated with the trade, with suppliers and traders coming from Amritsar city and surrounding rural areas, as well as towns including Ajnala, Tarn Taran, Majitha, Jandiala Guru, Batala, Baba Bakala, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Kapurthala and even Jammu.

Demanding immediate intervention, fish traders urged the government to unseal the shops at the earliest, citing heavy financial losses due to perishable goods lying inside. They also reiterated their demand for the allotment of a unified site outside the walled city, similar to arrangements made earlier for vegetable markets and dairy units.

Until such a facility is provided, the association has requested permission to continue business at the current location to sustain their livelihoods, Rajinder Kumar added.