CORRIDOR OF POWER? Stage put up on NH to welcome CM
TNN | Oct 27, 2018, 00:40 ISTCoimbatore: Motorists on the way from Singanallur to the city on Friday evening were dumbfounded to see a stage being erected bang in the middle of the Coimbatore-Trichy National Highway near the Ramanathapuram junction.
AIADMK men were erecting the stage to welcome chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, who was scheduled to visit Eachanari to attend a wedding. More than 500 party cadres were gathered at the place.
While the stage hindered movement of traffic, 10 police personnel deployed at the place failed to control the chaos.
The partymen had also installed several flex banners and flags occupying a major portion of the busy road. Flags were tied to the centre median also.
It was not the first time the ruling party had installed illegal structures on public roads. The trend had cost a precious life last year when K Ragupathi, 32, who was working as a software engineer in a US firm, died after his motorcycle rammed into such a structure installed on Avinashi Road to welcome Palaniswami.
Secretary of NGO Coimbatore Consumer Cause K Kathirmathion condemned AIADMK for flouting rules. “The Madras high court had issued an order against occupying roads for putting up stages and flex banners. But the party has shown no respect for the order. So, the court should take up the issue and punish the violators. It should also punish the officials, who are not taking action against the party cadres,” he told TOI.
DMK MLA N Karthick also flayed the incident. “During the MGR centenary celebration last year, wooden arches erected on the Coimbatore-Avinashi Road by AIADMK men had caused the death of Raghu. I had filed a case before the HC and the court had ordered the political outfit not to erect wooden structures or flex banners on the roads. But as AIADMK violated the court order, I filed a contempt petition. The case came up for hearing on Thursday. I again plan to approach the court with photographic evidence.”
Officials with the district administration, city corporation and police refused to comment on the incident.
AIADMK men were erecting the stage to welcome chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, who was scheduled to visit Eachanari to attend a wedding. More than 500 party cadres were gathered at the place.
While the stage hindered movement of traffic, 10 police personnel deployed at the place failed to control the chaos.
The partymen had also installed several flex banners and flags occupying a major portion of the busy road. Flags were tied to the centre median also.
It was not the first time the ruling party had installed illegal structures on public roads. The trend had cost a precious life last year when K Ragupathi, 32, who was working as a software engineer in a US firm, died after his motorcycle rammed into such a structure installed on Avinashi Road to welcome Palaniswami.
Secretary of NGO Coimbatore Consumer Cause K Kathirmathion condemned AIADMK for flouting rules. “The Madras high court had issued an order against occupying roads for putting up stages and flex banners. But the party has shown no respect for the order. So, the court should take up the issue and punish the violators. It should also punish the officials, who are not taking action against the party cadres,” he told TOI.
DMK MLA N Karthick also flayed the incident. “During the MGR centenary celebration last year, wooden arches erected on the Coimbatore-Avinashi Road by AIADMK men had caused the death of Raghu. I had filed a case before the HC and the court had ordered the political outfit not to erect wooden structures or flex banners on the roads. But as AIADMK violated the court order, I filed a contempt petition. The case came up for hearing on Thursday. I again plan to approach the court with photographic evidence.”
Officials with the district administration, city corporation and police refused to comment on the incident.
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