Mangaluru: He added that the new complex will have facilities for selling fish in the cellar, while fruits and vegetables stalls will be on the ground floor. There will be facilities for selling chicken and other shops too.

“The Mangaluru Urban Development Authority has been directed to complete the work by the end of October,” he said.

Earlier, Minister Khader reviewed of the construction of the complex taken up at a cost of Rs. 10.5 crore. The fisherwomen told the minister that the space allocated at the complex for them was not enough. “There are 45 sellers in the market while the space here can accommodate only 15 sellers,”

MUDA Commissioner K. Srikanth Rao said that the stalls have been designed for 35 raw fish stalls and two for dry fish.

Minoster Khader asked MUDA Commissioner to consider extension of space for selling fish by making use of adjoining land of Mangaluru City Corporation.

Asking the fisherwomen to make use of the facility being created at the new complex, Khader said that the government will create additional facility to accommodate more fish sellers. “Revenue in this coastal region mainly depended on fish. We will design facility to meet the needs of fisherfolk for the next three decades,” he said.

Minister Khader told media that the State government has proposed to have a market at Kadri at a cost of Rs. 12 crore and another at Kankanady at an estimated cost of Rs. 41 crore. A fish market was proposed at Alake at a cost of Rs. 2 crore. A new market will be built at Urwa Store at a cost of Rs. 35 crore.

The minister further said that the Central Market would be developed under the Smart City project. “Although it was decided to develop it under a PPP model, the plan was shelved as it would prove a longer procedure,” he explained.

Mayor Bhaskar K, Deputy Mayor Muhammad K, MCC Council Whip Shashidhar Hegde, corporator Pravinchandra Alva, MUDA Commissioner Srikanth Rao and MCC Commissioner B A Mohammed Nazir were present.

Minister U T Khader later said he has directed the district administration to move a proposal to shelve the conditions in the separate sand policy for the coastal districts.

“It is necessary to ensure availability of sand for the local people,” said Khader, who is also the district in-charge minister.

He was speaking to reporters after inspecting the work on the new market complex at Urwa junction on Monday.

Priority for locals : “The district administration should give priority to ensure that sand is available for local residents. Along with the enforcement of the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) rules, transportation of sand to other districts and states should be curbed,” said Khader.

Speaking further, he said, “Separate regulations were laid for the coastal districts under the CRZ limits for the allocation of sand blocks. Separate tender processes were carried out too. Yet, after two notifications, nobody has come forward to extract sand from the blocks, owing to non-feasibility.”

The minister said that the locals have not been getting sand at affordable prices.

“The sand is being sold at around Rs 15,000 a container to people from other states and districts. The district administration has been directed to ensure that the local people get sand on priority basis, and at Rs 4,000 a container,” he added.

Khader said he would discuss the matter with the deputy commissioner soon.