The Hindu report titled ‘Flyover wall mended after 3 days’ by Deepa H. Ramakrishnan and the column ‘Why I love Gemini Flyover’ by Bishwanath Ghosh that appeared on July 1, have drawn praise from DMK president M. Karunanidhi.
Commending the pieces in a statement released on Sunday, he said: “I read both, the news item and the column that was concise and beautiful. The writers have recalled significant features of the flyover and have included several pertinent details about it.”
However, pointing to “one regret”, Mr. Karunanidhi said: “As has been pointed out by Mr. Ghosh, some people continue referring to the flyover as ‘Gemini Flyover’, even though the flyover has borne the name ‘Anna Flyover’ for the last 39 years.”
“All the same, the columnist has praised me, observing that: ‘Today Chennai is a city of flyovers — Karunanidhi himself would have lost count of the number of flyovers he has inaugurated since that pleasant evening in 1973 — but Gemini Flyover will always remain a first for Chennai and therefore special’,” said Mr. Karunanidhi, who inaugurated the flyover in 1973 when he was the Chief Minister.
Referring to the lines ‘Gemini Flyover will always remain a first for Chennai and therefore special’ and ‘Gemini Studios, whose contribution to Indian cinema is immeasurable, is long gone, but here is a flyover that has single-handedly kept the name ‘Gemini’ alive’, Mr. Karunanidhi said no one held any grudge against Gemini Studios or its owner S.S. Vasan.
“It [the flyover] was named Anna Flyover only because of our love for Anna and because the flyover was constructed on Anna Salai,” he said.
