DMK party celebration creates cracks along new pavements
CHENNAI: Banners, party flags and serial light hoardings leading up to a DMK meeting held in Anna Nagar as part of the ‘Kalaignar 95’ celebrations on Saturday, has left parts of a ‘newly laid’ pavement along Poonamallee High Road, damaged.
The incident was brought to light by Chennai-based NGO Arappor Iyakkam which tweeted photos of the damage caused. Speaking to Express, Jayaram Venkatesan, convenor of Arappor Iyakkam, said that they have lodged a complaint with the Chennai Corporation. “The banners and hoardings put up as part of the meeting is illegal. Especially the serial light hoardings, there is no provision in the law to put those up at all,” he said. Moreover, parts of the pavement damaged, in the stretch between Ega Theatre and Koyambedu, have been recently laid after the completion of Metro rail works, he added. Responding to the furore on social media, DMK MLA J Anbazhagan tweeted, “Sorry for the inconvenience happened, whatever the damages occurred I will have my party cadres to fill it up at the earliest.
I will also make sure dis incident will not happen again. Our party has plenty of experiences being in power, don’t underestimate us (sic).” According to Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Licensing of Hoardings’ rules, the hoarding shall be erected only parallel to the footpath or road, and not across the footpath or road margin. Also, for a road between 50-100 feet, the maximum size of the hoardings should not exceed 15 feet x 10 feet (horizontal position). It also states that there shall be a gap of not less than five-feet width between one hoarding and another, and that the gap between hoardings on a road may be of uniform length.