CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is currently holding off the clearance drive against ‘excess’ vendors until the assembly elections. The civic body, which recently completed the court-mandated lottery to restrict vending to 300 shops and failed, indicated that enforcement would follow soon, even as vendors asserted they would not vacate without an amicable rehabilitation plan.
A senior GCC official said enforcement would be taken up only after the polls to avoid “any law and order issue”.
“Right now, we’re waiting for elections to be finished. After that, we’ll take action to clear it,” the official added. “Shops that function only on weekends are a major problem, as it leaves a lot of empty bunks. So, we’ll clear them first. So far, 235 such shops have been removed. Accelerated work under phases 3 and 4 will eventually phase out remaining shops in those stretches.”
GCC maintains that clearance has already been implemented in parts of the beach under the Blue Flag project. “Blue Flag phase 2 is functioning well with recreational activities. Works for phases 3 and 4 have commenced. If you notice, shops in the Blue Flag 1 and 2 stretches have already been cleared, and there is clear visibility to the beach,” the official added.
Vendors, however, oppose eviction. Merchant associations said around eight small associations function under the Marina Anaithu Pothunala Sangam, representing nearly 1,996 shop owners. They contend that reducing the number to 300 would severely impact livelihoods.
“Depending on a lottery to decide who should set up shop here is unfair to us. We just want to earn. Where can we set up shops other than a tourist spot?” a vendor said. They argued that Marina’s identity is closely tied to its food culture.
“Marina has always been associated with its eateries, be it sundal or bhajji. There are so many food options available. If people find it a nuisance, how are our businesses thriving?” another vendor asked.
Calling for regulation instead of removal, they said: “If the government cares for our livelihood, it should regulate and give us amicable space to set up shops, not completely destroy us. We’ll definitely protest because no one else will come for us.”
The Madras HC’s order which capped the number of shops was followed by GCC’s conducting the lottery event on February 12 witnessed a near-complete boycott by vendors, who rejected what they termed the “lucky draw system”.