Plea to restrain Corporation from setting up flea markets in

The Madras High Court today directed the Chennai Corporation to file its response in a week to a PIL seeking to restrain the Corporation from setting up flea markets in its playgrounds and parks in the city.
The First Bench, comprising acting Chief Justice S K Agnihotri and Justice M M Sundresh, before which the PIL by advocate AP Suryaprakasam came up today, directed the Corporation to file its response in a week.
The petitioner said he was shocked to note a report in a newspaper stating that the Corporation was proposing to set up flea markets in its playgrounds and parks on all Saturdays and Sundays.

The petitioner contended that the proposal would go against the dictum of the High Court and the Supreme Court, which had held that the playgrounds and parks should be used for the purpose for which they had been set up. It would amount to encroachment of public places which are already congested. The children would be deprived of places to play, the petitioner said.