Chennai: Murals under the Mint flyover in north Chennai painted to reflect Tamil culture now lie buried under posters of politicians and film stars in North Chennai. Posters of chief minister M K Stalin, festive greetings from former minister D Jayakumar, and movie posters have covered the CSR-funded artwork.
The defacement, caused by an abundance of posters of politicians and cinema stars, has marred the efforts behind a dozen wall paintings commissioned by corporates, locals say. Several companies, including Arihant Textiles, a well-known store in North Chennai, were involved in creating these murals. The original artwork showcased scenes of fishermen, jallikattu, and farmers at work. Now, hardly any of these depictions are visible, buried under layers of posters that have accumulated over time.
A manager from a private firm, who wished to remain anonymous, said the paintings were created two years ago under the Singara Chennai 2.0 initiative, with an investment of about 1 lakh. “For the first year, there wasn’t much defacement,” he said. “First, cinema posters appeared. Then posters of politicians and parties followed. More than the financial loss, it’s the disrespect shown towards art and the efforts,” he said. The flyover serves as a crucial link between Thiruvottiyur High Road in North Chennai and Mint.
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) needs to impose fines and take action against those responsible, said R Ramesh, a civic activist from Old Washermenpet. “There’s a popular single-screen theatre here. We see fan clubs sticking cinema posters during first day first show celebrations. The political posters are also easily identifiable,” he said. “GCC must take action against them. It’s disheartening to see the efforts and funds spent on these paintings go to waste,” he added.
DMK councillor and GCC zonal chairman (Royapuram) P Sriramulu said action would be taken. “We will register cases against those who have pasted these posters. Citizens also need to take responsibility and refrain from defacing public walls,” he said.