Despite a Madras High Court directive in 2012 to the Chennai Corporation and the Chennai City Police (CCP) to evict hawkers from NSC Bose Road to Malaya Perumal Street in George Town, for creation of parking space for two-wheelers, nothing has changes. Large numbers of hawkers continue to operate from these stretches.
They have filed a counter petition in the Madras High Court against the directive, seeking to be resettled in an alternative space in Broadway.
George Town merchants said that following the HC directive in 2012, the State Government provided the street vendors with an alternative resettlement and that those vendors found now on NSC Bose Road were unauthorised street hawkers.
The merchants pointed out that the hawkers had encroached upon the parking space earmarked for our shops by the Chennai Corporation.This had resulted in traffic congestion and haphazard parking of vehicles.
S. Murugan, secretary, Nadaipadhai Vyabarigal Sangam, said, “We submitted petitions to Chennai Corporation and Hawkers Committee, Chennai, regarding an alternative resettlement.
The Corporation has agreed to allocate around 195 shops. But, we want to do our business in Broadway. We have filed a counter petition in the High Court seeking an alternative resettlement in Broadway.”
R. Radhakrishnan, a resident of East Tambaram, said “Pedestrians are the worst-affected. They walk on the road due to haphazard parking of vehicles.”
Police officials said the hawkers could not be evicted as they (hawkers) too had filed a counter petition in the High Court against the 2012 directive by the Madras HC.
Two-wheeler parking facility
Meanwhile, the Chennai Corporation has invited tenders to build a two-wheeler parking facility at George Town. The slot is likely to come around the statue of King George Frederick Ernest Albert.
Welcoming the move, P. Anis Raja, president, George Town All Merchants Welfare Association, said that it would be good if they built a multi-level car parking facility at the premises of the Broadway bus terminus.
