Corporation Commissioner R. Nanthagopal on Sunday inspected the white-washing of defaced walls in the city. Ahead of the birthday celebrations of the DMK and AIADMK leaders, the political parties had vied with each other in defacing walls in many parts of the city. In the race, the cadres had not spared even government buildings.
The DMK leader M. K. Alagiri is celebrating his birthday on January 30, while his younger brother Stalin’s birthday falls on March 1. The AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa’s birthday is on February 24. When the DMK party men started writing on the walls, the AIADMK men too joined in the act to greet their leader in all choicest words. Not to lag behind, ‘defectors’ from Alagiri camp sprang a surprise by defacing walls with Stalin’s posters and hoardings. Following complaints that many unauthorised hoardings and wall paintings had been put up on government buildings and in unauthorised locations, the Corporation authorities swung into action.
Political parties and some commercial undertakings had defaced walls without obtaining proper permission as required by the law. The Corporation had recently given an ultimatum to remove them, but the violators had paid no heed to the warning, which prompted the staff to remove them.
After an enumeration in all the 100 wards, the workers commenced whitewashing of the government walls from Saturday night. According to the Commissioner, the expenses incurred towards removal of hoardings and flex boards would be collected from the agencies/political parties concerned. In future, such acts would attract legal and criminal action, Mr. Nanthagopal warned.
The government walls including Corporation and Municipal buildings in DRO Colony, Iyer Bungalow, Tirupalai, P and T Nagar, Thathaneri, Koodal Nagar, Tirunagar, Thiruparankundram, Alagappan Nagar, Palanganatham, Avaniapuram, Villapuram, Iravathanallur, Teppakulam, Anna Nagar and Vandiyur were removed. Similarly, the defaced walls in bus stands and peripheries were also being whitewashed, an official press release said and added that interested persons should apply for installing hoardings/flex boards to the authorities concerned.
