KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the Kochi City Police Commissioner to constitute a special team of officers to investigate the existence of any illegal nexus, alliance, or consortium of persons responsible for the encouragement or abetment of unauthorised street vending activities within the city corporation limits.
Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar also constituted a committee to regularly monitor the street vending activities within corporation limits. The court issued the order when a batch of petitions regarding the matter came up for hearing.
The court directed that the committee should obtain periodic reports from the corporation and its Town Vending Committee, and the Jagratha Samithi constituted in each division. “Timely action should be taken to prevent unauthorised persons from carrying on street vending activities.
Such action shall also include the issuance of directions to authorised street vendors to carry on their vending activities in strict compliance with the terms of the certificate of vending issued to them and implementing those directions in the event of failure by the vendor concerned to comply with them. The committee should meet at least once every month to monitor the situation,” the court said.
The High Court asked the corporation, district collector and the police authorities to ensure that all notices issued to unauthorised persons, at the time of evicting them, contain a reference to the court’s order. They should also state the reason for the action taken against such persons.
“The action for removal of such unauthorised persons from the streets, and preventing them from carrying on street vending activities without certificates of vending from the municipal corporation, shall commence immediately,” he court said.