Practice of drilling holes on roads to erect party flags irks road users

Residents of Tiruchi concerned over resurfacing of flag post drilling on roads. Political parties erecting posts to welcome leaders, damaging recently laid roads. Retired Forest official K. Janardhanan criticizes practice, calls for action against workers. Tiruchi Corporation urged to take stringent measures to prevent further damage.

Erection of flag posts by drilling holes on roads has raised concern among the residents of the city.

The practice, which was rampant till a year ago, has begun to resurface after a break. In addition to installing flex boards and banners, the erection of flag posts is also a popular practice followed by political parties to welcome their leaders when they visit the city. The cadre usually choose the roads, where their leaders stay in hotels or traveller’s bungalows, to erect temporary flag posts. They also decorate the roads along which the leaders travel. The practice of drilling the roads to erect flag posts is drawing strong criticism.

A large number of flag posts were erected on the Collector Office Road and the Lawsons’ Road to receive PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Wednesday. The roads were drilled using drillers to erect the flag posts, thereby damaging the recently laid roads.

“It is painful to see the drilled roads erect flag posts. The cadre and the workers employed for the task did not seem to bother the damage done to the roads. They could have erected the flag posts without damaging the roads,” says K. Janardhanan, a retired Forest official, in Bheema Nagar.

He said that the holes would certainly lead to erosion of the roads. The damaged roads would ultimately trouble commuters.

Mr. Janardhanan said that the Tiruchi Corporation should take stringent action against those responsible for the damage to the roads. The workers, who were usually employed by the political parties to erect poles, should be identified and warned against the practice.