Foul smelling days for fish lovers of Ranchi near to an end. Now the sizable fish consumers dominated by Bengalis can not only buy their loved watery varieties at a tidy, clean market place but also relish maacher jhol, doi maach, fish moilee or finger licking bhapa Ilish under one roof.
The Fisheries Department has coined an idea to invite established and famed food joints having specialty in fish recipe to run a fish restaurant at its Shalimar Fish Market premise of Dhurwa. The place, Department thinks, is better accessible and well located, that can throw another option to dinners to douse their appetite with all supporting ambience.
“The front of the place and its location is well suited for a fish restaurant. We have invited hoteliers and restaurant owners having experience to run the eatery providing primarily dishes made up fish. We hope some big names in the field likes of Kaveri, Seasons, Yo China or KFC would show their interest in opening the special restaurant,” Deputy Director of Fisheries Department Ashish Kumar informed The Pioneer.
Under the agreed formula, the space would be provided to the selected firm at the rate fixed by the SDO for such Government premises in the locality. However if more investors show interest then the space of around 2,000 squire feet may also be auctioned initially for three years.
“We will conduct screening based on the proposals coming for the place through open tender. The qualified firm would have to built the interior as per the need and arrange for desired facilities relating to furniture etc. The Department has no role to play apart from providing the space,” said the official. All the varieties and receipt at the designated fish restaurant and their rates would be decided by the vendors applying and also play a role in qualifying for opening the fish joint.
In its endeavour, the Department has strategised to intervene as less as possible and instead, facilitate the initiative first of this kind in the State. Nevertheless the vendors who are in the process to be shifted at the upcoming wholesale and retail fish market may gain from the additional fillip being given to the consumers.
“This can be additional attraction for the customers who would find raw as well as cooked fish at single place. The restaurant can also get fresh fish at reasonable rate from the wholesale market,” said a manager of Kaveri Restaurant, famous food chain of the city.
The Department is also looking for breakthrough in handing over local fish vendors the shops being built at the premise. A meeting of Managing Committee has been called on June 17 that would finalise applicants for retail shops. “Most of the building construction work has been completed now. Some work is left in completing effluent system. The Committee is holding a meeting on Wednesday to allot the shops to fish retailers and in two weeks time the designated fish market would be inaugurated,” said Ashish Kumar.
Momentum behind offering a designated fish market which is to replace stinking bazaars running in utterly unhygienic conditions at several places of the city had slowed down a bit under previous regime and also because of Chief Minister holding charge of the Department as well. The CM due to his other engagements could not concentrate on this and now when the Department is headed by a designated Minister the hygienic market with ultra modern facilities are about to be opened.
“They have settled markets but those are also very unhygienic. We are facing resistance. Initially they would be persuaded and we hope that after initial hiccups vendors would start coming at the designated market. If not then the trucks coming from Andhra Pradesh would be forced to unload fishes only at Dhurva as it is the only designated fish market,” said a senior official.