Several eateries/restaurants are functioning in the city without obtaining traffic clearance from the city police.
This is what figures in a joint report submitted by the police and the Chennai Corporation to the Madras High Court when a PIL seeking a direction to the authorities to close down restaurants and eateries located in crowded and narrow roads without parking facilities, came up.
In January, the First Bench comprising the Chief Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice M.M. Sundresh directed the Corporation and the police to jointly conduct a survey, as a test case, in the areas concerned.
Accordingly, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Chennai, M.T. Ganesamoorthy and T.G. Vinay, Deputy Commissioner (Revenue and Finance), Chennai Corporation, filed a joint report.
As per the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act, traffic clearance from police was mandated for grant of licence for eateries/restaurants. Following the court order, the Corporation, police and other stakeholders held a meeting on February 24. Pursuant to this, a committee headed by the Superintending Engineer (Roads and Works) was constituted. There were 44 restaurants on NSC Bose Road area. Only one had off-street parking. Eight restaurants did not possess a licence. Nearly 12,000 persons visited the restaurants daily. No parking space had been provided by any of the business establishments in the area.
Plans included removal of encroachments, obstructions from the road and footpath and relocation of the utilities causing obstruction to pedestrians. Action would be taken against unlicensed eateries and commercial establishments in the area.
The Corporation is in the process of formulating and implementing a parking management system to optimise and regulate use of parking space.
Officers said over six months were required to complete the task. The matter has been listed for further hearing on July 13.
