The Madras High Court has slammed the Tamil Nadu government for undertaking cleaning works only when ‘big leaders’ visit the state. The court appears to have been referring to the visit of Chinese Premier Xi Jinping for his informal summit with Prime Minister Modi at Mamallapuram between October 11 and 12. Weeks ahead of the visit, the state government undertook massive cleaning and beautification works along East Coast Road (ECR) and Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR).
According to a report by PTI, a Bench of Justices S Vaidyanathan and C Saravanan observed, “Now Mamallapuram has become very clean. Only when big leaders come, the government takes such steps. If Tamil Nadu has to become neat and clean, such leaders have to visit now and then.”
The court was hearing a petition filed by R Ravi, the father of Subhasri, the 23-year-old Chennai techie who lost her life when a banner fell on her last month. He had sought a special law with maximum punishment to curb the unauthorised erection or display of digital banners and flex boards.
Prime Minister Modi will arrive at Chennai airport from New Delhi by a special aircraft on Friday morning, ahead of Xi Jinping. PM Modi will be received by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami and his cabinet colleagues at the airport.
Chinese Premier Xi Jinping will arrive in Chennai at 1.30 pm on Friday and will head to ITC Grand Chola Hotel in Guindy. Around 4 pm, he will travel to Mamallapuram, about 50 kilometres from the hotel, and at 5 pm, Prime Minister Modi and the Chinese Premier are expected to visit the four iconic monuments of Mamallapuram. Later that evening, after a high-profile dinner hosted by Modi at Taj Fisherman's Cove Resort, a cultural programme by Kalakshetra has been planned at the venue for the leaders and their retinue.
On Saturday, the leaders will hold an informal meeting at the Fisherman's Cove between their delegations, followed by lunch after which Xi will depart for China at 2 pm.