Fish lovers rejoice. Fresh carp curry with steamed rice is now available off the road in capital Ranchi, courtesy the state fisheries department that wants to promote healthy eating habits.

A kiosk near Machli Ghar at the state fisheries department in Doranda is now dishing out meals for Rs 60 a plate that includes 150gm rice, two fish pieces in a juicy curry, salad and pickle.

Employment generation for local residents is the other purpose of the department which has been struggling to operationalise a multi-crore hygienic fish market complex it has set up at Dhurwa.

If this kiosk, being run on a private-public partnership, is a success, the department plans to replicate the model elsewhere.

Vaibhav Singh, a mechanical engineer, has taken up the challenge and has been running the Doranda kiosk from Sunday.

"I have always been a foodie and love trying various cuisines. However, I realised that providing value for money in a pocket-friendly way is difficult to do, specially in a place like Ranchi," said the engineer who lost his job with Abhijeet Group after their Chandwa power plant shut down months back because of the coal block allotment controversy.

"After losing my job, I joined a friend to start a canteen at Cambridge Institute of Technology (CIT). I was also exploring other options when I got this idea," Singh said, adding that when he gave the proposal to the fisheries department, officials readily agreed to facilitate the process.

Singh said it was early days still, but hoped the pocket-friendly price tag for hygienic fish curry-rice would click among foodies and office-goers. "Today (Monday), a couple of lawyers visited the kiosk and described the food as 'delicious'," he claimed.

On the types of fish he serves, Singh said it depended on the daily catch. "Rohu, catla or whatever else we get fresh from nearby dams... once things get streamlined, the fisheries department may facilitate getting fish," he said, but added that the financial arrangement of the partnership was yet to be worked out with the department.

"Currently, they have asked us to set up the kiosk and run it for few days. Once it takes off, financial modalities will be worked out," he said.

Home delivery? Yes, said Singh, if anyone ordered in bulk. "One person from Doranda came to place orders for 30 plates for a family get-together the other day," he said.

Ashish Kumar, deputy director, fisheries department, said they were hoping the initiative would take off after the month of Shravan when many people avoid non-vegetarian food.

"Not many eat non-veg during month of Shravan. Depending upon the response, we will set up more kiosks across the city and district to serve not just fish curry, but snacks made of fish too," he said.

What other dishes do you want on the menu? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com