‘Namma Chennai’ selfie point cleaned up after defacement, police complaint filed – The News Minute

A police complaint has been filed over the defacement of the ‘Namma Chennai’ selfie point at Marina Beach. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on Sunday, April 11, said that the defacement has also been cleared. The action has been taken after the issue was flagged by a journalist on Saturday, who took to social media and posted a picture of the defaced structure with youngsters sitting on top of it.

The ‘Namma Chennai’ installation was set up as a selfie spot at the famous Marina Beach in Chennai under the Smart City Mission last year. The Tamil word ‘Namma’ (our) in red colour is featured on the top and the word Chennai in white finds a place in English beneath it. The structure, which cost Rs 24 lakh, is installed on the arterial Kamarajar Salai opposite Queen Mary’s College.

Youth on top of the selfie point on Marina in Chennai. Just like other tourist locations, citizens have even scribbled their names over it.@businessline @chennaicorp @GSBediIAS #chennaimayor pic.twitter.com/dm0rjoBiVZ

— Bijoy Ghosh (@bijoyghosh70) April 9, 2022

A day after the photo was posted, the GCC had responded to the tweet saying, “#NammaChennai typography is being cleaned. A police complaint has also been filed.

Thanks for bringing this to us. Public participation is core to Chennai’s development.” The tweet was accompanied by a video clip showing workers involved in cleaning the installation.

#NammaChennai typography is being cleaned. A police complaint has also been filed.
Thanks for bringing this to us.
Public participation is core to Chennai’s development. pic.twitter.com/2CEMgCw5TI

— Greater Chennai Corporation (@chennaicorp) April 10, 2022

According to reports, GCC officials have said that the police complaint was meant to be a deterrent and that protecting public property is impossible unless the public put their mind to it. 

Similar to the ‘Namma Chennai’ installation, an ‘I love Kovai’ selfie spot was inaugurated at the Ukkadam Periyakulam lake in Coimbatore, in 2020, which was a part of a lake renovation project. An ‘I love Avadi’ selfie point was also setup by the Avadi Municipal Corporation to encourage litter free zones that same year.