CHENNAI: The outrage over Subashri's death due an illegal banner has made the Chennai corporation file police complaints against as many as 206 illegal banners in just five days. When the officials have now gone into overdrive following public outcry, in the nine months preceding Subashri's death the civic body had filed a mere 471 police complaints against illegal banners, according to the Corporation's own data. This has raised a question: If only the officials had shown the same zeal since the banners were banned in December 2018, Subashri might not have lost her life.
Following the Madras high court's order, the city corporation, on December 18, 2018, had announced that illegal banners should be removed to avoid a fine of Rs 5,000, a year of imprisonment or both. However, a senior corporation official told Express that fines have been collected only in ‘three or four’ cases.
David Manohar, a civic rights activist, said he registered a complaint on illegal banners in Chromepet, where Subasri was from, on September 1. Since no action was taken, he registered another complaint on September 6, which also failed to elicit a response.
“When I went to pay my respects to Subasri, I again reminded police officials on duty, of the illegal banners. It was only after that they got it all removed,” said Manohar.
“In June, two DMK functionaries came to my house and intimidated me for a complaint on an illegal advertising banner that was actually filed by another resident in Chromepet,” he added.
Corporation officials also said that no punitive action was taken against zonal officials, who are the implementing authority for the enforcement of the ban.
“Erring officials should be booked under contempt of court. If strict orders had gone from the top brass (of the corporation and police), junior officials would have acted upon it,” said Nakkeeran Pugazhenthi, treasurer, Arappor Iyakkam, a Chennai based citizens rights group.
The city corporation had specified that a 10 metre gap was mandatory between two banners and that they may be erected only at a 100 metre distance from educational institutions, hospitals, places of worship, statues and other tourist spots and should not be erected at the medians. Applications for permissions must also be attached with the no-objection certificate from the concerned police stations and with a demand draft of Rs 200 and a security deposit of Rs 50.
However activist Paadam A Narayanan of Change India said that these very rules are ‘ridiculous’ and should be challenged.
“A public space should be exclusively for the public. There should be no question of regularisation. Just because someone pays and gets the banner licensed does not make it any less of an inconvenience,” he said.