Chennai: Even a year after the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) established zonal vending committees to regulate vendors and remove encroachments, and despite multiple directives from the Madras High Court, many illegal structures continue to occupy the city's 188 demarcated non-vending zones.
Court Orders Ignored
In March, the Madras High Court granted GCC an eight-week deadline to clear all encroachments. However, key stretches such as Anna Nagar Second Avenue, Pantheon Lane, Velachery Main Road, and Loop Road remain heavily encroached. On major roads like NSC Bose Road, Marina Loop Road, and Marina Beach, the corporation has taken no action. The court's directive to allocate shops and limit the number of vendors to 300 has also been disregarded.
Vending Committee's Role
The newly formed vending committee in 2025 is tasked with streamlining approximately 75,000 vendors, relocating them to 150 designated vending zones, and clearing the 188 non-vending zones. However, progress has been minimal.
Advocate N Rukamangadhan, who filed writ petitions on the matter, accused GCC of showing utter disregard for court orders. "There are clear directions to remove encroachments in non-vending zones. Yet, zonal officials are not acting. They earlier cited elections as an excuse. What is the reason now? This amounts to contempt of court," he said, questioning whether officials were allowing encroachments in exchange for favors.
Lack of Meetings and Consensus
The vending committee must address directives from over 200 writ petitions. The court also instructed the committee to provide alternative solutions for vendors facing eviction. Former town vending committee member N Balamurugan revealed that GCC has chaired only 10 meetings in the past three years. "No consensus has emerged from these meetings. The new committee has met only once," he added.
A GCC revenue official stated that they are reviewing pending work. "Many departments resumed work last month after the Model Code of Conduct was lifted. With a change in government, we are reassessing pending tasks with the concurrence of the minister and secretary. Action will be taken soon," the official said.
