The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday granted permission to the Arumanai Christmas festival to be held at Pallivillai, Kanniyakumari.
Justice S. S. Sundar directed the Kanniyakumari district authorities to ensure that the function was held without any obstruction to traffic. The private party conducting the event was allowed to earmark a vacant place or ground in the vicinity to conduct the function without encroaching on the road.
The petitioner, D. C. Darwin Conston, had moved the court stating that the celebration was planned on a narrow panchayat road and this would cause hindrance to traffic. He said that close to 50 flex boards were erected at the venue, where a dais was put up and 2,000 chairs would be used. He contended that the programme would block traffic and residents nearby would be affected by the noise blaring from the public address system. There was a medical college and hospital nearby and the event affect ambulance services.
There were other venues nearby such as churches, marriage halls and grounds which were more spacious, but the private party had obtained permission for the event and had started decoration work at the present venue, said the petitioner.
