In September 2019, after Subashri’s death when a hoarding hit her, all major political party gave an undertaking in the high court that they would not put up hoardings. Violation of the undertaking is a plain contempt of court.
How many more litres of blood do you want to paint the roads?” This was the anguish expressed by Madras high court hearing a case relating to the death of Chennai techie Subhashri in a road accident caused by a political hoarding on September 12, 2019. One expected political parties to kick the habit of defacing public/private walls, erecting hoardings and cut-outs at least after such an avoidable tragedy and the subsequent public outrage. Instead they have graduated to the next level – of overwriting awareness messages with ugly political graffiti. It is time for the judiciary to take suo motu action. It could threaten parties with derecognition and slap exemplary fines. Police and other authorities concerned ignoring such violations should also be taken to task.
Yet, parties have forgotten the court orders and their own undertaking, as assembly polls near. Many public walls have been defaced – so much so parties are erasing awareness messages on walls of government entities and are writing political graffiti, with impunity.
Officials in charge of these premises do not register complaints nor do municipal authorities remove the graffiti or proceed against the violators. Public libraries, walls, corporation facilities, parks, flyovers and other government offices have been soiled with political ‘messages’.
Greater Chennai Corporation spent more than `2 crore in rejuvenating the Puzhuthivakkam lake and built walkways around the waterbody with fence and bollards, giving the neighbourhood a new look and feel. The corporation, however, could not do much about the defacing of the wall bordering the lake. “The local AIADMK and DMK functionaries have used the compound walls of Chennai Metrowater building and a government school bordering the lake to paint graffiti to mark the upcoming birthdays of their party leaders. It is an eyesore. We complained to the authorities, but they expressed inability to take any action,” said N Kalavathi, a local resident.
Similar graffiti could be found across the city, where the ruling party has smeared walls of public buildings with graffiti marking the upcoming 73rd birth anniversary of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa. Very recently, walls were defaced with posters welcoming the return of V K Sasikala from prison. Social activists have decried the practice by political parties, which apart from acting as an eyesore also pose risk to citizens, especially when they are illegal hoardings.
In 2015, advocate Elephant G Rajendran filed a PIL before the Madras high court seeking the court to restrain political parties from defacing walls, roadside hills and boulders with graffiti.
During subsequent hearings, the court censured political parties and the government constituted a committee to address the issue. Even then, the state contended that complaints cannot be attended to overnight due to lack of official staff and machinery, and that it needs time to carry out the exercise.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/tn-parties-form-grand-alliance-to-deface-public-places-in-city/articleshow/80936614.cms
