MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Tuesday advised the Kanniyakumari authorities to keep the Kovalam Beach Road stretch clean and pollution-free.
A Bench of justices S Vaidyanathan and D Bharatha Chakravarthy did so while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed to remove shops that are allegedly encroaching both sides of Kovalam Beach Road, from Gandhi Mandapam to Sunset Point, in Kanniyakumari.
The litigant, M Sterlin Jino, alleged that the shops encroached upon the pedestrian pathway and force tourists and visitors to walk on the road, thereby affecting traffic movements. He also claimed that the structures put up by the traders spoil the scenic view of the tourist spot.
But the government informed that nearly 160 temporary petty shops have been permitted to do business in the stretch and assured that they would identify and remove unauthorised shops, if any, and issue identity cards to authorised traders. Recording this, the judges disposed of the petition, adding that the authorities should ensure that the area is kept clean and free from plastic waste.