Big banners and cut-outs of AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa has become a common sight for people in Tamil Nadu. Though till now, activists and citizens have been complaining about traffic problems, the DMK has alleged that two such banners caused a accident.
On Saturday at 3 pm, an engineering student was injured after the two wheeler he was riding on crashed onto two such banners at the Saravanampatti village in Coimbatore. The motorcycle after hitting the banners collided with a truck coming from behind.
“The ruling party has fixed banners blocking one side of the road. The youth riding the motorcycle did not see the banners, first he hit the banner and then later there was a truck coming from the back which hit him. The parties should not fix banners on the roads as it can cause a problem for pedestrians as well as vehicles," said Kumar, a resident of Sarvanampatti.
The youth was admitted to the Coimbatore government hospital and is in a stable condition. Villagers also accuse that the police have refused to file an FIR in the case.
Talking to The News Minute, Meena Loganathan, DMK member and Coimbatore Corporation Councillor said, “If one keeps banners for functions and wants to inform public about it, it is fine. But these banners were out for publicity and nothing else."
Stating that these banners were put up without any particular reason, she said, “They are putting cut-outs and banners without a reason. They are spending so much money on all these banners, why don’t they use that money for some other purpose?,” she said.
Chennai based activist Chandra Mohan who was arrested for pulling down AIADMK banners in December said, “This was the reason why we pulled down the banner. It is a huge risk to motorists, pedestrians and everybody. Even though there is a court order and there are strict regulations as to how these banners should be kept, nobody has the guts to question from collector’s office to the corporation to the police. The police themselves say that they can’t do anything,” told The News Minute.