Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda provided 15 shops suitable for Fish Stalls built on the ground floor of the newly built Chilaw Fisheries Harbour, to the Fishermen’s Associations in Chilaw City, on 17-11-2023 at the Ministry of Fisheries.
As per the request made by the Rural Fishermen’s Organizations and Fishermen’s Cooperative Associations at Chilaw City, the Minister provided the shops to these Associations without auctioning.
Making a statement at the function, the Minister stated that the Fishermen’s Associations that obtained these Fish Stalls should keep the premises clean and they should hold the responsibility to maintain them clean. The Fish Market in the Chilaw Public Market run by Chilaw Town Council is very dirty and as a result of this situation, the environment is severely affected. It is astonishing to notice that the Chilaw Town Council is less considerate on this issue. The Minister stated that under this situation he has decided to provide these stalls to Fishermen’s Associations instead of individuals, since these stalls should be maintained very clean in order to provide the opportunity for consumers to buy fish from a clean environment. The Minister has added that he hopes that these associations fulfill their responsibility in a proper manner.
The Minister had a lengthy discussion with the members of the Fishermen’s Associations regarding the issues faced by them and instructed the Ministry’s Secretary Mrs. Indu Rathnayake to provide solutions to the issues.
Many Officials including the Chairman of Ceylon Fisheries Harbour Corporation Mr. Nilanka Jayawardana and the Managing Director Mr. Sathyanandan attended this event
