The State government, on Thursday, informed the Madras High Court that a temporary fish market with 92 shops had been constructed at a cost of ₹70 lakh, replacing the Nadukuppam market which was torched during the violence on January 23 in the aftermath of the jallikattu agitation.
Recording the submission, the First Bench of Chief Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice M. Sundar disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition moved by advocate P. Pugalenthi seeking to reconstruct the market.
According to the petitioner, hundreds of students on the Marina, who were attacked by the police on January 23, ran towards Nadukuppam, a fishing hamlet on Avvai Shanmugam Salai, near Vivekananda House, in front of which the students had commenced their protest on January 17. The residents of Nadukuppam saved the students from the police brutality. “Following the incident, the people of the area were attacked by the police and the fish market was burnt to ashes by persons in uniform,” the petitioner said.
Claiming that the market was the livelihood for many in the area, the petitioner wanted the court to direct the government to reconstruct the market and rehabilitate the residents of Nadukuppam.
‘Visual inspection’
Meanwhile, retired judge S. Rajeshwaran conducted a ‘visual inspection’ on Thursday morning, at the Marina Beach and places nearby where violent clashes between the police and the protesters had erupted on January 23.
The Commission under his leadership, constituted by the State, conducted enquiries with both the police and public about the incident. Once the formal enquiry was complete, they would call for witnesses, said a police officer.
