Tension prevailed for some time on Marina beach on Friday after vendors opposed the move of the Greater Chennai Corporation to install stainless steel carts and remove those belonging to them.
Corporation staff, accompanied by the police, tried to remove the carts of the vendors, saying the Madras High Court had permitted only 900 of the 1,500 shops on the sands. The vendors, who opposed the move, sought to know why the Corporation was showing undue haste in removing the shops when the matter was pending before the court. They added that the shops on the Marina were closed due to the pandemic.
Sheela, a woman vendor, said the shops were their source of livelihood, and the civic body was trying to bring in outsiders to occupy their space.
“The vendors are all well-behaved and always keep an eye on the visitors. There have even been innumerable instances of vendors having saved people from committing suicide,” said Ko. Su. Mani, a fishing community leader.
Shanthi, another vendor, said more than 2,000 vendors depend on these outlets. “Families have sent their children to school and paid rent thanks to the income they get mostly during the weekend. There are so many widows and destitute women who depend on this for their survival. What will happen to them?” she asked.
A section of the protesting vendors was arrested by the police as a preventive measure and later let off.
Meanwhile, a senior official of the Corporation said the officials had started installing the 900 smart carts on Marina beach, based on the directions of the Madras High Court.
“We have done the lottery and readied the smart carts for vendors. They probably wanted more carts. We have not received any representation from them. We will inform the High Court. We will continue the work. The installation of all smart carts will be completed shortly,” the official said.
