The Madras High Court disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed seeking direction to the respondents to take appropriate action immediately to remove all the filth, rubbish and garbage, remove the encroachments, inside the market and its approach ways, streets and road, and make such facilities including provision of the requisite number of public conveniences, convenient movement and use of the public reusable, re-auction the shops, clean the garbage and keep the environment clean and pollution free for a better Vellore, in respect of the New Fish Market, Vellore-Bangalore Highways, Kansalpet, Vellore.
The PIL has been filed by one V.Sureshbabu.
A status report is filed by the Commissioner, Vellore City Municipal Corporation. The same reads thus:
“…..
2. It is most respectfully submitted that the New Fish market in and around area are cleaned daily and the Toilets are also cleaned every day.
3. It is most respectfully submitted that there is no permanent encroachment in front of the Fish market. Most of the vehicles are parked for goods un loading and loading purpose and the consumers are temporarily parked.
4. It is most respectfully submitted that there are 50 shops are Newly constructed and leased out to the public and the shops are renewed upto 2023-2024 and demand lease rent are created and collected regularly.”
It is stated that the area in and around the new fish market is cleaned daily and the toilets are cleaned everyday. Further, it is stated that no permanent encroachment exists in front of the fish market and the consumers are parking the vehicles temporarily.
The status report filed by the respondent is accepted by the High Court.
However, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay V. Gangapurwala and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy directed that the respondent shall ensure that there is no encroachment made and if any person attempts to encroach, steps shall be immediately taken by the respondent.