Chennai: The Madras high court declined to direct the authorities to issue ‘No Objection’ to permit street vending by the members of Chennai Managar Desiya Siru Viyabarigal Sangam along the ‘Pallavan Salai’ or any other place.
Disposing of a PIL filed by the Chennai Managar Desiya Siru Viyabarigal Sangam, a division bench comprising Justices Vineet Kothari and C.V.Karthikeyan gave liberty to the members of the petitioner association to move their appropriate application or representation before the Vending Committee and “We expect that Vending Committee will decide their representations or applications in accordance with law”.
The bench said counsel for the petitioner submitted that, pursuant to the court order, a representation was given by the Association in 2016. But, even after lapse of two years, the lots in respect of 6 persons have not been drawn. Similarly, for alternative places to 17 persons in ‘Pallavan Salai’ for which the Zonal Officer-V called for ‘No Objection’ from the Joint Commissioner, Traffic (north), there has been no progress. The counsel urged that the Joint Commissioner, Traffic (north) may be directed to give his ‘No Objection’ in this regard.
However, Special government pleader J.Pothiraj, has filed an affidavit of the Joint Commissioner (north) to the effect that no such ‘No Objection’ can be given in favour of those six persons. In that status report , it was stated it was not possible for the Joint Commissioner (north) to issue ‘No Objection’ to the Chennai Corporation to permit street vending along the ‘Pallavan Salai’ as it was an arterial road with heavy traffic connecting the Central Railway Station and Mount Road. The Joint Commissioner (north) has taken a categorical stand that no such ‘No Objection’ can be given to the members of the petitioner association, the bench added.
The bench said the corporation has since brought to its notice that a ‘Vending Committee’ has now been constituted under section 22 of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act and only it can consider any such application made.
