Archive · 26 Aug 2026
Surat Fish Market Signboard Covered Amid PM Modi Naming Row
A new fish market in Surat had a sign using Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name and picture.
Some local people and opposition members objected to the sign.
They said the city had not officially approved the name.
They also questioned whether the prime minister’s name should be used for a non-vegetarian market.
City officials inspected the site after the disagreement grew.
The market group then covered the sign with a white cloth.
The cloth will stay there while the city considers the request.
Market representatives say the name would honor government help for the fishing community.
They have now asked the municipal committee to decide the matter officially.
A white cloth now covers the signboard at Surat’s Nanpura-Lakkadkot wholesale fish market.
The board called the facility the “Shree Narendra Modi Wholesale Fish Market” and displayed the prime minister’s name and photo.
Opponents said the name was installed without approval from the municipal administration or cultural committee.
Market representatives agreed to cover the board after civic officials intervened and issued regulatory warnings.
The association has petitioned the municipal standing committee to formally approve the name, citing fisheries initiatives including Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.
- Who
- Surat Municipal Corporation officials, the market association, local traders, opposition members and representatives of the Kahar-Maachi community; the association seeks to name the market after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- What
- A signboard naming the facility the “Shree Narendra Modi Wholesale Fish Market” was covered after objections over its unapproved installation.
- When
- After the market’s recently completed construction and the signboard controversy; the cloth is to remain until an official municipal resolution.
- Where
- The Nanpura-Lakkadkot wholesale fish market in Surat.
- Why
- Critics cited the lack of municipal and cultural committee approval, while market representatives said the proposed name would honor government support for the fisheries sector.
Critics and local opponents
Market representatives
Municipal approval
Critics and local opponents
The signboard was installed without a municipal resolution or approval from the civic body’s cultural committee.
Market representatives
The association has begun the formal process of seeking permission through a petition to the municipal standing committee.
Use of the prime minister’s name
Critics and local opponents
Opponents questioned the appropriateness of attaching the prime minister’s name to a non-vegetarian commercial facility without following legal and administrative procedures.
Market representatives
Market representatives said the proposed name is intended as a tribute to central government initiatives and assistance for the fishing community.
Signboard’s immediate future
Critics and local opponents
Civic intervention and regulatory warnings led to the name and photograph being obscured from public view.
Market representatives
The association accepted temporary covering of the board while continuing to seek official approval for the proposed name.
- Project cost
- Rs 3.9 crore
- Market location
- Nanpura-Lakkadkot, Surat
- Signboard status
- Covered with a white cloth
- Proposed name
- Shree Narendra Modi Wholesale Fish Market
- Approval status
- Formal municipal approval has not yet been granted
- Petition
- Submitted to the chairman of the municipal standing committee
- Cited government initiative
- Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana