Hawkers menace: HC warns civic authorities of contempt action

The Madras High Court today warned that it would not hesitate to invoke legal provisions, including contempt action, against Chennai Corpration officials who take its orders casually in the matter related to hawkers menace here.
The first bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar issued the warning while expressing its dissatisfaction with a two-page counter affidavit filed by the civic authorities on a PIL relating to hawkers menace in North Chennai.
The bench ordered the Corporation Commissioner and Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) to file a detailed affidavit on allotment of alternative shops for pavement vendors, who had allegedly .

The counter stated that action had been taken against several hawkers who had violated the terms and conditions by erecting canopy at several sites.
The court pulled up the officials for not including supporting documents such as the recommendations made by the A.Ramamurthy Committee on rehabilitation of hawkers.