High Court orders eviction of fish stalls on the carriageway of Marina loop road within a week

Justices S.S. Sundar and P.B. Balaji also call for a report from Greater Chennai Corporation indicating whether the eateries on the pavement had obtained all statutory licences

A suo motu PIL petition was taken up by the court in view of the traffic chaos caused on the loop road especially during peak hours due to the fish stalls. | Photo Credit: M. KARUNAKARAN

The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to evict within a week all the fish stalls that had encroached upon the carriageway on both sides of the loop road at the Marina beach and file a compliance report before the court by April 18.

Justices S.S. Sundar and P.B. Balaji issued the direction on a suo motu public interest litigation petition taken up by the court in view of the traffic chaos caused on the loop road especially during peak hours due to the fish stalls as well as parking of customers’ motor vehicles.

The Division Bench also directed the Corporation to file a report during the next hearing of the case indicating whether the eateries which had sprouted on the pavement, abutting the loop road, to sell cooked fish meals and dishes had obtained necessary statutory licences.

The judges said, they would take a call on the eateries after the receipt of the report from the Corporation and also after hearing the fishermen. However, since the fish stalls on the carriageway was a clear case of encroachment, they ordered their removal forthwith with police assistance.

Greater Chennai Commissioner of Police was directed to provide necessary assistance to the Corporation Commissioner in clearing the carriageway of all the stalls. The orders were passed after hearing preliminary arguments advanced by Additional Advocate General J. Ravindran.

The AAG told the court that a fish market for relocating the vendors was under construction and that they would be relocated within six months. Till then, the fishermen and their families who had put up the stalls on the loop road would be regulated without causing hindrance to traffic, he said.

Not inclined to wait till then, Justice Sundar insisted that the encroachers on the tar road must be evicted forthwith since their presence was leading to many accidents. Justice Balaji also wondered how the Corporation could want to protect the encroachers of a public road for six months.

“You speak of Singara Chennai but the condition of the most beautiful road close to the beach in the city is otherwise,” the judge said. The Bench also made it clear that they would also hear the fishermen associations from the locality before passing further orders on the issue.