India

Himachal Pradesh to Open First Fish Parlour in Bilaspur to Boost Local Fisheries and Tourism

By PTI

The Himachal Pradesh Fisheries Department announced that it will establish a "Fish Parlour" in Bilaspur district to provide a new market for local fishermen and to support tourism and employment. The parlour will operate alongside the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Department’s "Lake View Cafe" located near the Fisheries Awareness Centre at Bilaspur’s ITI Chowk. The cafe is already open on the first floor of the same building. The new facility will allow tourists to try traditional Himachali fish dishes and will be the first in the state to offer live and fresh fish for sale. In the future, the parlour could become a structured sales hub for a range of fishery products, giving fishermen and fisheries cooperative societies an additional platform to market their produce. The initiative is expected to increase fish consumption and marketing in the district, create new employment and income opportunities, and attract more visitors to the Lake View Cafe, thereby giving local fishery products a new identity and integrating Himachali fish‑based cuisine with tourism activities. The site and required infrastructure were inspected by a team led by Director‑cum‑Warden of Fisheries Om Kant Thakur.