VASCO: With their plea to curtail the number of stalls at the Vasco Saptah falling on deaf ears, a group of residents have finally sought the intervention of the High Court.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed by Dr Shantaram Lawande and 150 others from the city, has urged the high court to intervene and give them the much-needed relief from the increase in number of stalls that crop up during the Vasco Saptah.
The petitioners have complained about the illegalities committed by Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) by sanctioning and organising the 10-day fair, which has caused inconvenience and hardship to residents of the city.
“It’s a nuisance as it causes pollution, obstruction of public roads (Fr Joseph Vaz and Swantantra Path roads), thereby violating the fundamental rights of the law-abiding citizens of Vasco,” stated the petitioners.
The petitioners have requested the court to direct local authorities to ensure that no stalls are allotted or allowed to be erected on the footpath and streets in Vasco during the forthcoming Saptah festival so as to block free movement of pedestrians and continuous flow of smooth traffic.
The respondents in the case are the MMC, the collector, the Mormugao deputy collector and the State.
