CHENNAI: With giant models of India Gate and Red Fort in the background, hundreds of party cadres were in attendance when four AIADMK leaders - three of them MLAs - jointly organised wedding receptions for their children in Thiruvanmiyur on Friday. The structures were put up on South Avenue Extension five days before the function that left residents complaining that their movements were restricted.
MLAs K P Kandan, D Jayakumar and Walajabad Ganesan and party leader P Thulasidas had decided to host their children's wedding receptions at Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre's Thiruvanmiyur campus to make it easier for the chief minister to attend and bless the couples.
The residential area wore a carnival look with the model of India Gate welcoming people into South Avenue Extension and the one modelled on Red Fort and two elephants at the gateway to the venue. The trees on both sides of the road were decorated with lights and party flags were erected on the pavements. While some party cadres came as guests, others arrived in the hope of catching a glimpse of Jayalalithaa.
Residents said massive tree branches, which formed a canopy over the wide road, were chopped to make space for the India Gate model, which was propped up by two tree trunks planted in trenches on either side of the road. "When we asked workers digging the holes, they claimed the work was ordered by the Chennai Corporation," said S Balasubramaniam, a resident.
The road, lined with wide pavements and trees, has always been a walker's delight. "We are now used to this inconvenience every time a high-profile wedding is held, but this is the first time the road and pavements have been dug up," said E Murugesan, another resident. The venue earlier this year witnessed the high-profile wedding of Nayantara Kothari, niece of Mukesh Ambani, and Shamit Bhartia, son of media baron Shobana Bhartia.
Putting up any structure, hoarding or even a notice on a public road requires permission from the collectorate and a no-objection certificate from the city corporation. The senior-most official in the corporation's Adyar zonal office said he did not receive any request for an NOC. The collector's personal assistant also confirmed they had not issued permits for any of the structures.
When contacted, Jayakumar said he was not involved with the decorations in the front. However, Kandan said, "Required permissions and clearances from all agencies were received."
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