Chaini Parwani –
Published On: December 10, 2021 at 10:46 IST
The Gujarat High Court on Thursday sternly directed the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to acknowledge the Plea of 25 street vendors submitting their seizure of carts by AMC on sale of non-vegetarian items, ‘as expeditiously as possible’ if approached by the Petitioners within 24 hours for release of their goods.
A Bench of Justice Biren Vaishnav while addressing the Government counsel, stated “What is your problem? You don’t like non-veg food, that is your lookout. How can you decide what I eat outside? Tomorrow you will decide what I should eat outside the house? Call the corporation commissioner and ask him what he is doing. Tomorrow they will say I should not have sugarcane juice because it causes diabetes? Or coffee (because it) is bad for health?”
Further Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Standing Counsel Satyam Chhaya, submitted that the reason for seizure was encroachment on the road, which is a hindrance to public traffic or absolute blockage of pedestrians and that there is no such drive to remove all non-vegetarian carts.
Furthermore, the Court observed “Mr Chhaya states that in case the petitioners approach the corporation within 24 hours for releasing their goods and the materials, based on the policy and in accordance with law, their cases shall be considered as expeditiously as possible.”
The Petitions were submitted by Counsel for Petitioners, Ronith Joy, that their carts were seized without any official protocol and because of adverse positions taken by civic bodies in Vadodara, Surat, Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Ahmedabad.