The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Medians, flags and citizens’ woes

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Monday, Feb 25, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Medians, flags and citizens’ woes

J. Malarvizhi

‘5-day lifetime’ directive hardly makes impact

Flexi-vinyl hoardings with digital printing have proliferated
A large temporary arch set up recently
hindered traffic flow

— Photo: K. Pichumani

Aflutter: The flags of a political party have been drilled into the concrete median along the Chetpet Bridge.

CHENNAI: The State Government’s instruction giving political hoardings, flags and banners a five-day lifetime has not always made a significant impact or does not always contain the damage they can create in the period.

The concrete median along the Chetpet Bridge is frequently traumatised to set up flags and banners to welcome leaders visiting the St. George’s School on the Poonamallee High Road — a venue that has become popular for large gatherings and fairs recently. Holes seem to have been drilled along its length to set up party flags.

To greet another leader for an event in Valluvar Kottam recently, a large temporary arch obstructing traffic flow was set up a day ahead of the event. Traffic police personnel in the area said the arch was blocking movement of traffic, making it particularly difficult for vehicles negotiating the turn at the junction from Valluvar Kottam to Kodambakkam High Road. Late that morning, traffic continued to move at a ‘rush-hour’ crawl with vehicles waiting for the signal to change about three times between the Independence Day Park and Valluvar Kottam signals.

“Not unwelcome visits”

The usual preparations for the visit of a political head, of the ruling party especially, are not entirely unwelcome. Mayor M. Subramanian humorously remarked at an event that he made it a point to make an appearance at several functions in a day as all streets around the location would immediately be cleaned.

Besides sweeping the surrounding streets, local body workers also sometime touch up roads, giving the ‘paver finish’ — which means filling in the gap between road and pavement with tar — and filling up potholes. The paver finish is often promptly destroyed by party workers who feel the need to line the route their leader takes with party flags and have no qualms about digging up the roads to better plant the ubiquitous flags and banners.

The roads are also lined with circles of white powder. These help disinfect the area — as they are made by lime powder dispensed from buckets the bottom of which are lined with holes.

Corporation officials said that zonal officials were informed about the movement of elected representatives in the area and undertake the necessary preparations to tidy up the place.

The bureaucracy is not responsible for party paraphernalia and does not interfere with the putting up of flags and hoardings, they said.

Flexi-vinyl hoarding

Flexi-vinyl hoardings with digital printing have proliferated.

Now that the labour of the hoarding painters can be dispensed with and that their own photographs can be appended to their tributes to their leaders, party workers and supporters delight in setting up these hoardings at all possible locations along the route their leaders take.

Popular option

Another popular option for the evening functions is the line drawing of the leader done with serial lighting on wooden frames, so that the image seems to glow in solitary splendour when darkness falls.

Where the electricity for these, and the countless fluorescent tube-lights that are attached to the flag poles, is drawn from is not known.

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