Ending the 71-day ordeal, the locks on 26 shops in T.Nagar area, which were sealed by Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and civic authorities for building violations, were opened in compliance with a Supreme Court directive.
A day after the Apex Court ordered unsealing of the shops to enable them to do business for six weeks in view of the traditional Pongal festival, the CMDA and Chennai Corporation authorities today swung into action and began the process of removing the seals on the shops.
A senior Corporation official, who was involved in the unsealing process, told UNI ''We have started unsealing the shops following the Supreme Court order.'' ''The process has begun this evening'', he said, adding, all the sealed shops would be unsealed one after the other.
This exercise was expected to be completed by tonight, sources in CMDA said.
Passing orders on SLPs filed by the Ranganathan Street Traders Association and others challenging the December 31 Madras High Court order asking them to approach the CMDA Monitoring Committee on opening of shops for New Year, the Supreme Court said the shops should be unsealed for six weeks.
The Apex Court also asked the High Court to hear and dispose of all the applications filed by the Association and others when the matter comes up for hearing in the fourth week of this month.
The shop owners described the Apex Court order as a "Pongal Gift".
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