Kolis plan protest as fish vendors’ business dips by 80 per cent

Fish vendors in Mumbai are at receiving end after Maharashtra put blanket ban on plastic use recently. Accusing politicians of having taken initiative to garner votes, the fish vendors said the plastic ban has reduced their business by nearly 70-80 percent because customers demand plastic bags to carry fish.

“We sell fish for living but now we are facing a lot of problem after the state government banned plastic bags. Our business has steeply nosedived by nearly 80 percent, as customers demand plastic bags to carry the wet product. Fish being wet product, cannot be wrapped in a piece of paper to carry. The politicians want to appease only vote banks. They never thought of the plight of Koli fishing community before taking this harsh decision,” Naina Patil, President of Akhil Bharatiya Koli Mahasangha told the Free Press Journal.

The Koli community in Mumbai is planning to protest against the plastic ban. “We are talking with different people and will approach state government to roll back the decision as it is directly affecting our livelihood. We too have right to live and the government reserves no right to deprive us of our livelihood,” added Patil, who sells fish in BMC-fish market in Kalina, Santa Cruz (East).

Echoing the same problem, another fishmonger Chhaya said they cannot go door-todoor to sell fish like others.

“Our sale is almost negligible after the plastic ban. There are few communities who do not eat fish, chicken or muttons but the customers living in the same housing societies used to come and pack their fish in plastic bags to enjoy the food at home. But now we cannot wrap the fish in paper as it will be scattered,” said Chhaya who sells fish on MG Road in Goregaon (west).

Even customers visiting high-end shops like Godrej Nature’s Basket are inconvenienced have to buy cotton bags to carry products. “We are charging Rs. 35 for one cotton bag and the fund is being used for charity,” said a Godrej Nature’s Basket employee.