Remove shops near Metro stations in Chennai: PIL
The Madras High Court on Monday (September 2, 2024) sought the response of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) to a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed against the practice of displaying the names of advertisers in a bigger font size than the names of the metro stations concerned.
The first division bench of acting Chief Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice PB Balaji heard the PIL moved by advocate MT Arunan stating that shops and eateries have illegally popped up on the pavement near the High Court causing overcrowding and forcing pedestrians to walk on the road leading to accidents.
The CMRL cannot construct any establishment or let private parties run the shops without following an open tender procedure, he said.
The petitioner also noted that the Metro station name board was in a smaller font while the advertisement board of a private company next to it had a bigger font.
This was confusing the general public, he claimed, charging the CMRL of encouraging advertising companies to make more profit.
He added that the Metro tunneling work damaged the 125-year-old Madras Law College building, rendering it unfit for functioning.
After the submission, the bench posted the matter for four weeks with a direction to CMRL to file a counter.