HC: Vested interest behindstir by Loop Road fishermen

CHENNAI: Some vested interests are misleading fishermen families to protest the court order, said Madras High Court on Tuesday and warned the protesters against creating law and order problems by blocking Loop Road at Marina.

Taking up a public interest litigation suo motu, a Division Bench of acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy had earlier directed officials to regulate fish stalls along the Loop Road, since they cause traffic chaos during peak hours from 8 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm daily.

When this plea came up for hearing before Justices SS Sundar and PB Balaji on April 11, Additional Advocate General J Ravindran representing the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) submitted that a market was being set up at a cost of Rs 9.97 crore to relocate the fishers within six months. The Bench then directed the GCC to evict the fishers encroaching upon the carriageway on Loop Road with police assistance.

When the case came up for hearing Tuesday, the Bench asked if there is any law that entitles fishers to squat over the property.

Responding to this, counsel representing the fishermen submitted that Loop Road is not a public road and fishers enjoy traditional rights over it. The GCC had assured that Loop Road will be used to divert traffic temporarily till the expansion of Santhome High Road.

Citing the National Green Tribunal’s order, the Bench said the NGT had permitted GCC to relay the road in 2016.

It did not recognise any traditional right of fishers and under the Corporation Act, the civic body is obligated to evict encroachers from public roads.

However, the court directed the GCC to file a detailed petition regarding allowing the fish stalls on the western side of Loop Road and adjourned the hearing.