Nagpur: The civic body has informed the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court that a temporary access road has been carved out alongside Sanman Lawn to facilitate the movement of patrons visiting eateries in the Kachipura-Bajaj Nagar area, some of whom allegedly visit the establishments to drink.In an affidavit, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) said the alternate route appeared to have been opened to facilitate late-night movement despite the demolition of an unauthorised slab over a drain and the barricading of the passage.The submission was made in response to a public interest litigation filed by local resident Dr Lalit Harode, who has challenged the late-night operation of restaurants and dhabas in Shankar Nagar. The matter is being heard by a division bench comprising Justice Urmila Joshi-Phalke and Justice Raj Wakode.During an earlier hearing, Harode expressed concern that patrons continued to leave the premises through the area beside Sanman Lawn despite the demolition of an unauthorised structure over the drain. The court subsequently directed the NMC to inspect the site.Following the court’s direction, the assistant commissioner of the Dharampeth Zone inspected the area. Senior advocate Akshay Naik appeared for the petitioner, while advocate Jemini Kasat represented the NMC.
