The Madras High Court on Monday (September 2, 2024) sought the response of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) to a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed against the practice of displaying the names of advertisers in a bigger font size than the names of the metro stations concerned.
The first Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice D. Krishnakumar and Justice P.B. Balaji also wanted the CMRL to respond to the allegation that it permitted the construction of commercial establishments on the pavements abutting metro stations in many places across the city.
Advocate M.T. Arunan had filed the PIL petition stating he had been practising in the High Court since 1985 and therefore, is highly interested in the maintenance of not only the court campus but also its vicinity, so that people could access the court without any hassle.
He recalled that while constructing the underground metro rail station close to the High Court campus a few years ago, the CMRL had caused damage to the Madras Law College’s heritage building and then agreed to take up the repair work on the basis of court orders on a similar PIL petition.
Now, around the same place, the CMRL had constructed various commercial establishments on the pavements and rented them out, causing chaos and cacophony right outside the court campus, he complained. He also said the situation was not very different in other metro stations in the city.
The litigant pointed out that various eateries, including a tea shop and a burger outlet, had been put up on the pavement to the right side of the High Court’s Gate No. 5 (known as the Esplanade Gate), and a bathroom fittings showroom had been constructed on the pavement located on the left side of the gate.
He said the existence of these commercial establishments led to their customers occupying the entire pavement and preventing free movement of litigant public and others. He claimed that ingress and egress to the court campus, through the Esplanade gate, was also being hampered.
He also produced photographs of the shops and boards on which the names of advertisers had been displayed in bold letters next to the names of the metro stations, which were in smaller letters.
The petitioner said the beauty of the 132-year-old heritage building of the High Court was being spoilt because of such commercial establishments, as well as advertisement boards, right next to its compound wall. He insisted that the pavements around the court campus be kept free from such shops.
The petitioner said his complaint was not restricted to the High Court metro station alone and that it also includes other metro stations, such as the one in Ashok Nagar, where free movement of pedestrians was being prevented due to the existence of multiple commercial establishments.
Claiming to have made a representation in this regard on March 6, 2024, he sought a direction to the CMRL and Greater Chennai Corporation to remove all the commercial establishments put up on pavements and to ensure that the names of the metro stations were displayed properly outside those stations.
