Unrelenting HC seeks Marina clean-up plan from Chennai corporation

CHENNAI: The Madras high court has given 10 days for the Chennai corporation commissioner to submit a comprehensive action plan to clean up the Marina beach, including the loop road.

Persisting with its attempt to ensure that Marina Beach is cleaned, a division bench of Justice Vineet Kothari and Anitha Sumanth also directed the corporation commissioner to be present in the court on December 17 with the action plan. The bench also made it clear that it would continuously monitor the entire cleaning process.

The bench added that the commissioner should a file counter-affidavit with the action plan for cleaning up the Marina beach and nearby areas, including the loop road, before the next date of hearing and the commissioner should remain present in the court on that date.

The bench made the observation while hearing a plea moved by Fishermen Care, a fishermen rights organisation, seeking a direction to the state and Union governments to jointly pay Rs 500 per day as compensation to fishermen’s families during the 61 days fishing ban period every year.

When the plea came up for hearing, senior central government standing counsel J Madanagopala Rao submitted that fishing within the territorial waters and welfare of fishermen came under the domain of state governments. The state is also implementing various relief measures to support the livelihood of affected fisheries in their states during fishing ban period.

The Centre supplements such efforts by providing financial relief to fishermen during uniform ban on fishing through its central scheme titled ‘Blue Revolution’. The central financial assistance, which was Rs 600 during 2014, has been substantially enhanced to Rs 1,500 per family from 2016-17. An equal amount is also provided by the state for nine months annually, he added.

He further submitted that the ban was imposed for 61 days only based on the recommendations of the committee of scientists and experts and the ban on fishing by all fishing vessels in the exclusive economic zone beyond 12 nautical miles to up to 200 nautical miles only comes under the jurisdiction of the union government. Territorial waters of 0 to 12 nautical miles falls under the administrative control of coastal states and union territories.

Recording the same, the bench said, “Since the matter pertains to fishermen throughout the state, including the fishermen at Marina beach, about which the court has given certain directions to the commissioner of corporation of Chennai with regard to maintenance and cleaning of Marina Beach, suo motu, we direct the impleadment of the commissioner as party respondent in this plea.” The bench then posted the plea to December 17 for further hearing.