The Madras High Court on Wednesday extended till Pongal festival (mid January), the operation of its earlier order directing the Koyambedu marketing committee to allot at least one acre in the Koyambedu wholesale market complex to merchants to unload tomatoes.
Justice R Suresh Kumar extended the operation of his earlier order dated November 29 when the writ petition from the Thanthai Periyar Tomato Traders Association came up again.
When the judge opined that there was no significant drop in the price of tomatoes, counsel for the association submitted that there was shortage of cultivation of tomatoes due to heavy rains in the state and short supply from Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. He also complained to the judge that the authorities had allotted only 50 cents instead of one acre, as directed earlier.
The judge extended the time till Pongal and made it clear that no other activity should be carried out at the allotted premises.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chennai/madras-hc-extends-till-pongal-operation-of-its-order-relating-to-tomato-unloading-7675487/