The Times of India                           08.03.2013

Chennai Corporation tells HC it will remove illegal street shops in 4 months

CHENNAI: Chennai Corporation informed the Madras high court that illegal roadside shops occupying public spaces and platforms will be removed within the next four months.

Corporation commissioner Vikram Kapur submitted an undertaking to the first bench of acting Chief Justice R K Agrawal and Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar. The undertaking came in response to a public interest petition by K R 'Traffic' Ramasamy seeking immediate removal of illegal street shops and initiation of action against the occupiers.

In a counter-affidavit filed on Thursday, Vikram Kapur said the civic body had removed 10 roadside shops on Montieth Road in Egmore, and that the authorities had so far received 133 complaints regarding roadside shops.

Recalling that the court had asked the civic body to explain the steps taken by the latter to curb bunk shop menace in the city, the commissioner said the corporation had instructed all zonal officers to enumerate the list of street shops in their zones. Noting that the corporation required more time to complete the enumeration and remove all illegal street shops, he said: "The corporation has already started to implement the court orders. Disabled people have also been instructed to remove their shops by making their own arrangements, failing which the corporation will take action to remove the shops. This operation will take a minimum of four months to complete, and hence the corporation is in need four months to implement the directions," he submitted.

Acceding to the request, the first bench closed the PIL after recording the undertakings of the corporation commissioner.

Ramasamy, however, cautioned that he would be constrained to initiate contempt of court proceedings against civic officials, including the commissioner, if their undertaking to complete the task within four months is not honoured within the time frame.