The Gujarat high court on Monday directed the Songadh Nagarpalika in Tapi district to build a vegetable market on the land near Songadh town bus stand and equip it with all basic amenities by September-end this year.
While giving this order, the division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya and Justice JB Pardiwala observed that it was in the larger public interest that a suitable market be built in Songadh town where poor tribals could sell vegetables.
The market must be well built with a shed and roof, and all basic amenities such as water supply, electricity, drainage, toilets etc, the bench said.
The bench further ordered that till the time the market is built and handed over to the vegetable vendors, the authorities shall not harass or remove the vendors from their current place and will allow them to sell vegetables.
The bench gave this order after hearing the PIL filed by Jashuben Gamit, secretary of Retail Vegetable Vendors Tribal Rights Committee of Songadh. Gamit had approached the high court by filing the PIL through her counsel SH Iyer.
The petition stated that as there was no vegetable market in Songadh, tribal vendors had been selling vegetables on the roadside.
They had been paying the fee of Rs5 per day for sitting on the footpath by the roadside; yet they were harassed by the local authorities, municipal staff, police and others. Gamit had prayed that the vegetable vendors be provided some marketplace where they could sell vegetables.
SH Iyer, counsel for Gamit, submitted that section 87 of the Gujarat Municipalities Act makes it mandatory for every municipality to build and maintain a vegetable market.
Moreover, realising the need for modern vegetable markets, the state government had come up with the Kisan Kalpavriksh Yojana which provides for establishment of vegetable markets, Iyer said.
These vegetable markets have to be constructed within the budget of Rs10 crore, with 50% aid coming from the government .
Iyer further submitted that despite the scheme and the duty mandated on the municipality to construct and maintain such a vegetable market, no market had been built in Songadh town.
Hence, the authorities should be directed to build a vegetable market .
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