Go for morning walks for 30 days on Marina: Madras HC tells top officials
Chennai: The Madras high court has asked the Commissioner of Chennai Corporation and the City police commissioner to go for a morning walk from 6 a.m. to 7.a.m. on the Marina Beach for a month so that they can monitor the work of cleaning the Marina Beach.
A division bench comprising Justices Vineet Kothari and Anita Sumant made the suggestion orally when the Public Interest Litigations filed by Fisherman Care came up for hearing. The bench said “You have to regulate the street vendors on the Marina Beach. There should be a separate area for their operation. Similarly, the corporation has to work out a plan for relocating the fishermen to have their shops”.
As per the earlier directive of the court, the Chennai Corporation Commissioner filed a report before the bench. After studying the report, the bench said the Corporation has stated the number of employees in the cleaning work and the timing, besides the machineries used for cleaning the Marina. But, when they visited Marina Beach two to three days back, the condition was the same as earlier, the bench added and made the above suggestion.
Additional advocate general S.R.Rajagopal said the corporation was working out a plan and it will file a comprehensive report on the next date of hearing.
Impleading 7 associations involved in the hawking and food stalls business at the Marina Beach, the bench in its order directed them to file their affidavits and undertakings before the this court before the next date of hearing to the effect that they were willing and ready to cooperate in the matter for keeping the Marina Beach and other nearby areas of coastal line, like the Loop road in clean and proper shape.
Directing the petitioner to implead the other associations of fishermen before December 20, the bench said similar direction as that of hawkers will also apply to the fishermen association.
The bench said the court has given certain directions to the Commissioner of Chennai Corporation as well as for the police Commissioner for putting in their all efforts for personally supervising the cleaning and other allied regulatory works. Such work is required to be done in the discharge of their public duties at the said sites, so that, more vigorous efforts were made by all concerned working under them. The Bench also asked them to seek the cooperation of visitors so that a tangible change was seen in cleaning up of the Marina Beach and other nearby areas, including Loop road, the bench added.
The bench said the Commissioner present in court prayed for two weeks time to undertake the necessary consultation process in this regard and produce on record the next status report with the affidavits on the next date of hearing.
A compilation of court orders passed earlier, with regard to the area for street vending as well as for maintenance, by the coordinate Benches or single judges of this court may also be produced before us for perusal. The applicable Rules and Regulations and Terms and conditions presently in force or those in draft form and under active consideration of the state and Corporation to be issued to the hawkers carrying on business in the Marina Beach shall also be placed before the court. "We expect the state/corporation to expedite the framing of the relevant Rules and Bye Laws and schemes and notify the same as expeditiously as possible. The state will also place on record the requisite details of the funds allocated by the state government/municipal corporation for maintenance of the Marina beach till date. The details of the infrastructure to be created in the near future, the designs, plans including the allocation of funds and funds in the said area may also be placed before this court", the bench said and posted to January 10, 2019, further hearing of the case.
