A day after the BJP President’s visit to the city, the Madras High Court pulled up the Tamil Nadu government over the large number of banners placed in the city.
According to a report in the Times of India, the first bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice P T Asha asked why authorities had not followed guidelines regarding the erection of banners.
The Court observed that a number of banners had been erected for the BJP chief's arrival and that the public should not be inconvenienced.
According to a report in the Deccan Chronicle, the court directed Tamil Nadu Advocate General Vijay Narayan to file the government's response on the matter. The Court also made clear that the government must monitor the illegal placement of such banners.
According to TOI, the Advocate General promised action on the Court's concerns and added that while no political leader demands such banners, cadres put it up, vying for the attention of the leader.
Ahead of Amit Shah's meeting at the VGP Golden Beach Resort on Monday, pavements on some stretches near the airport and along the East Coast Road (ECR), were dug up to make way for party cut outs and banners.
Photographs showed flags and banners that were dug into footpaths, damaging them while also blocking the way for pedestrians.
In April this year, the Court had banned posters, banners, flex boards that are erected across pavements or roads.
In October last year, the Madras High Court had imposed a ban on hoardings and flex boards featuring living persons.
Illegal hoardings and banners have caused inconvenience to the public and even claimed lives. Between November 2017 and February 2018, at least three people were killed or injured in separate incidents in Coimbatore, Ooty and Coonoor owing to hoardings.
It was only a few weeks ago that activists slammed DMK for damaging the footpath on the Poonamallee High Road and erected hoardings for its party meeting held in MGR colony near Koyambedu.
J Anbazhagan, a DMK MLA, had responded to the activists’ tweet assuring that they would repair the damages.