Near the Vadavalli bus terminus on the Maruthamalai Road stands a banner that is at least 50 feet long and carries photographs of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O. Pannerselvam, Municipal Administration Minister S.P. Velumani, Coimbatore North MLA P.R.G. Arunkumar and also an engineer, Chandrasekar.
Vadavalli residents and passers by say that the banner has been around the place for over 20 days now and the Madras High Court verdict banning banners or cut-out with photographs of those living has had little effect. Banners with photographs of some of these leaders and others could be seen on Huzur Road, West Arokiasamy Road, Ramanathapuram and other parts of the town as well, says civil society activist A. Manoj.
The violation of the Madras High Court order is just one of the violations. Those who erect the banners also violate the rules that stipulate where and how to place the banners, he says and points out that banners in places other than those approved of by the Coimbatore Corporation are patently illegal.
The other violation is the failure to pull down the banners beyond the date permitted by the corporation, as is the case with the Vadavalli banner, says consumer activist K. Kathirmathiyon.
The third violation is that the banners on roads face the motorists, which is again a violation of rules.
Corporation officials say they will look into the issue to comply with the court orders.
