Chennai, July 21 (BPNS)
The Greater Chennai Corporation(GCC) has declared no hawking within 100 metres of educational institutions, religious places and hospitals and has directed all the five zones within the corporation to remove any hawkers found within these areas.
The directive of the GCC is following an order of the Madras High Court in June on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a Chennai-based advocate and social activist, N. Rukmangathan.
The legal cell of the city corporation has directed the officials in all five zones to comply with the directive from the corporation and to remove all the hawkers within the stipulated area. The legal cell has also directed the officials to remove any hawkers present within the stipulated area and to produce a compliance report.
Advocate Rukmangathan while speaking to media persons said that he had moved court as there were encroachments around busy institutions and places. He said that these encroachments led to the reduction of walk area and road size and hence had to move court.
He said that he had cited the example of Pantheon Lane where 65 encroachers are next to Don Bosco school and have put bunks and even built structures. The petitioner said that Chennai corporation must take strict action and remove all the hawkers from the areas within 100 metres of educational institutions, religious places and hospitals.
