CHENNAI: The first bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan of the Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to file reply to a petition filed by the MRC Nagar Residents Association praying for action to remove road obstruction caused by illegal parking of vehicles and certain private entities and vendors around Ayyappan temple at MRC Nagar in RA Puram.
The petition, filed by SK Nawaz, honorary secretary of the association, said MRC Nagar and the surrounding streets including MRC Nagar Main Road, South Beach Avenue, Janaki Avenue, Kasthuri Avenue and Thandavarayan Street, have been facing persistent and unabated public nuisance, traffic congestion, obstruction of public roads, encroachments on pavements and severe sanitation issues for several years.
The issues have gravely affected the day to day life, safety and free movement of the residents, and it is very difficult for ambulances to enter into Thandavarayan Street where a speciality hospital is located, the petition said.
It further said the nuisance and obstruction are primarily caused due to the unchecked and unregulated activities of Chettinad Vidyashram School, Sun TV Network Limited and several illegal and unauthorised commercial eateries and street vendors operating in and around the Ayyappan temple.
Stating that the employees, visitors and vendors park their vehicles on both sides of the narrow residential roads reducing effective width of the roads to a single lane, leading to constant traffic congestion and posing serious danger to the residents, the petition noted the residents also face serious sanitation issues arising from irresponsible waste disposal by discarding wrappers, cans, bottles and other wastes.
It claimed there was a reduction of the number of vehicles in and around the Sun TV office following a communication sent to it, but the school and other establishments did not take any such action.