Madras High Court today ordered that no cooking activity be allowed in the Island Ground here where the temporary cracker shops were to be put up for the Deepavali festival season.
First Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Kumar Agrawal and Justice M Sathyanarayanan, gave the directive while dismissing petitions challenging the tender notification by Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) for setting up temporary shops, including cracker outlets and amusement parks for children, at the sprawling grounds.
Cracker shops were shifted to Island Grounds last year from the congested Paryy's Corner area in the heart of the city as ordered by the court on a petition by social activist 'Traffic' Ramaswamy.
This year, the TTDC called for tenders for all shops, including the cracker shops, and the same was challenged by Ramaswamy and others.
In its counter, the government submitted that as per the suggestions of a meeting of Joint Chief Controller of Explosives, Chennai Police Commissioner and senior TTDC officials regarding the cracker sale, it decided to relocate the crackers shops to the other side of the Coovum River adjacent to Island Grounds.
The bench recording the decisions arrived at the joint meeting directed that except package foods and sweets no cooking activity shall be allowed even in the non-cracker sale area.
