Voice against damaging public property

CHENNAI: Political parties are notorious for damaging roads, sidewalks and city walls for installing party flags. While the issue isn’t new, even though the public, activists, and NGOs have cried hoarse about it, it’s a surprise when J Jeyaranjan, vice chairperson of State Planning Commission, raises it.

Jeyaranjan’s raised the issue of platforms on roads being damaged while installing DMK party flags. Recently, for a party function in Velachery, party flags were installed on platforms by breaking a portion of it. The photo of damaged platforms was shared by Arappor Iyakkam on Twitter which criticised the ruling DMK government.

It alleged that the ruling government floats tenders for laying platforms that are later damaged for installing party flags so that tenders can be once again floated to re-build them. The NGO also pointed out that public money is wasted in the process.

Such criticisms are not new in the State. Recently, when Chief Minister MK Stalin went to The Nilgiris for participating in an event celebrating the formation of Ooty 200 years ago, the photos of roads being damaged for anchoring party flagpoles were shared on social media and the DMK was called out for being irresponsible.

However, this time Jeyaranjan reacted to the post of Arappor Iyakkam by retweeting it and said “mkStalin sir, we need to change this culture and set an example!!”.