MHC allows GCC to regulate fish vendors on the Loop road

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday permitted the Greater Chennai Corporation to regulate the fish stalls and their business without encroaching upon the carriageway on Marina beach Loop road and causing hindrance to free flow of vehicular traffic, on the public road.

The Madras High Court has taken up a suo motu public interest litigation petition to issue a direction to government officials to regulate fish stalls put up along the loop road at the Marina beach in Chennai, since they cause traffic chaos during peak hours from 8 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm everyday.

When this plea came up for hearing before Justices SS Sundar and PB Balaji, Additional Advocate General J Ravindran representing Greater Chennai Corporation submitted the report filed by Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation stating that the corporation undertakes to take necessary steps to streamline the traffic movement with the help of police department.

"Further, 2 numbers of parking bays have been identified behind the Lighthouse and another one near Srinivasapuram and action will be taken by traffic police to ensure that the customers use this for parking and do not create obstruction for free flow of traffic in loop road, " the report said.

"The GCC will undertake to regulate the fish stalls on the western side of the existing platform so that general public will not be put to inconvenience and free movement of vehicles will be ensured in close coordination and with the help of police department. The GCC will take the fishermen into confidence and based on consensus, take up the work of paving the area on western side with interlocking blocks etc., within about fortnight period. As an interim arrangement, the fishermen on the western side might use the platform without affecting the traffic. The GCC and the police will coordinate the location of fish stalls and regulate the traffic, " it added.

Accepting the submission, Justice SS Sundar said, the court was always willing to show some indulgence to the fishermen as long as they do not encroach upon the carriageway though some fishermen representatives had been giving interviews to the media projecting the judges of the High Court in a bad light.

Observing that the issue of encroachment on the public road had been politicised ever since they passed an interim orders on April 11 to evict the fish vendors from the carriageway on Loop road, the court said, they would have no hesitation in impleading all political parties too, as respondents to the case, and hear them before passing final orders.

However, the court made it clear that any individual, association or political party could file an impleading petition and make their submissions when the case gets heard next on June 19 and that the court would not shut any of them out since it was a Public Interest Litigation and every person had a right to an audience before the court.