The court was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by N. Manikandan of Madurai, who sought a direction to the authorities to close the food stalls functioning in the park and restrain visitors from bringing plastic materials into the park.
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The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Madurai Corporation to file an affidavit explaining how permission was granted to sell eatables inside Vandiyur park when successive orders had been passed preventing commercial activities from being carried out within the park.A Division Bench of Justices C.V. Karthikeyan and R. Sakthivel had earlier directed the Corporation to remove the stalls put up on the pavement abutting the walls of Vandiyur park. The court had modified the timings and allowed Vandiyur park to remain open continuously from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The court adjourned the hearing to September 1.The court was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by N. Manikandan of Madurai, who sought a direction to the authorities to close the food stalls functioning in the park and restrain visitors from bringing plastic materials into the park.He also sought a direction to restrain the Corporation from installing amusement equipment such as a giant wheel inside the park and from collecting entry fees from visitors.Earlier, the court had directed the Corporation to forthwith close down commercial activities entrusted to private persons in rooms or buildings constructed on the banks of the Vandiyur lake.The court had also restrained the Corporation from collecting any fee from visitors for walking and sitting in the park and for children playing in the designated area. For the purpose of developing the park, existing trees or vegetation should not be cut, the court said. Published - August 26, 2026 09:50 pm IST
