HC pulls up officials for allowing hawkers on pavements

Pulling up the City Corporation and Police authorities for allowing hawkers on the pavements in the city despite a sign board prohibiting them, the Madras High Court today summoned the concerned officials to appear before it on September 29.
The First Bench Comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan gave the direction on a PIL by social activist Traffic Ramaswamy.
Lambasting the police for their lethargic attitude towards the encroachers, the bench said, "how are you permitting hawking despite a notice board prohibiting hawkers? On one hand, authorities erect a board declaring certain areas as no-hawking zone, but, on the other, they permit hawkers to occupy the same platforms."

It directed Chennai Corporation and Police officials from the Flower Bazaar in the city, where hawkers have encroched pavements, to be personally present in the court onSept 29.
The petitioner alleged that the Police officials instead of removing the encroachers from the prohibited place, encouraged them for their personal benefits.
The high court on October 5 had modified its September 9

order saying the aspect of non-squatting zones were not inconsistent with the 2014 Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending Act which prohibits vending activities in non-vending areas.
The court noted that though the Act came into force on May 1, 2014, "there were several lapses in proper implementation of its provisions and consequently, no vending zones have not yet been declared".

It had also expressed a prima facie view that there can only be a scheme for entire Delhi, but had sought replies from Delhi government, NDMC and other corporations on whether there can be more than one scheme under the Act.
The applications filed today were moved in an earlier PIL by the Congress leader, through advocate Aman Panwar, seeking directions to the authorities not to evict street vendors till the Act was implemented and a scheme formulated for survey of the existing vendors and issuance of Certificate of Vending.