Coming to the rescue of seafood lovers in Chennai during the lockdown, the Tamil Nadu government has launched an app called ‘Meengal’ to facilitate the delivery of seafood to households around government fish stalls. Government-run fish stalls are located in Chennai at Anna Nagar, Santhome, Teynampet and Virugambakkam.
According to a press release issued by Minister for Fisheries, D Jayakumar, on Thursday, the government has launched a mobile app version of the website www.meengal.com, in order to ease the ordering process during the lockdown. The Tamil Nadu government earlier launched home delivery services of seafood to limited areas in the city through the website and a corresponding landline number 044-24956896.
An initiative of the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation Limited (TNFDC), the service now includes more places for home deliveries as part of its plan to expand the operation. Currently, people living around government-owned fish stalls at Anna Nagar, Santhome, Teynampet, Virugambakkam and surrounding areas within a 5 km radius can place their orders between 9.30 am and 12.30 pm during the lockdown period.
Fisheries Minister Jayakumar urged the public to curb their movement by ordering seafood through the app and the website.
The Chennai Corporation has launched a logo for the website Ithu Namma Ooru Meengal (this is our village fish). The app has been designed to bring quality fish directly to the home of the customers, the release said.
The Meengal app is now available for download on Google Play store.
As of Thursday, the website sold kavalai (sardines) for Rs 220 per kg, ayila (mackerel) for Rs 400 per kg, small prawns for Rs 320 per kg, squid for Rs 260 per kg and small crab for Rs 290 per kg. The website also sold fish of other varieties including nethili (anchovy), mathi (oil sardines), karai podi (silver bellys) and vavval (pomfret).
The fishing ban during the breeding season (April 15 to June 15) along with the lockdown came as a double-blow for the fishing community in Tamil Nadu, severely affecting livelihoods. On April 14, the state government issued a Government Order (GO) allowing traditional fishermen to venture into the sea and sell their catch adhering to safety precautions to contain the spread of coronavirus.