AIADMK worker dies as flag mast falls on him

Chennai: In a tragic accident, a AIADMK worker was killed as a 100 feet high metal flag mast of the party flag, erected  on the side of the Chennai-Trichy national highway, fell on him while it was being renovated on Thursday after the flag was battered by the recent Cyclone Mandous that lashed northern Tamil Nadu.

The tall mast at Madurantakam that reportedly saw AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami hoisting the flag recently was being taken down for a revamp with the help of a crane by party cadre when it suddenly broke and came down crashing on a party worker, crushing him in the process

The worker, Chellappan from Madurantakam, was rushed to the local government hospital in an ambulance but passed away without responding to treatment.

It started with a group of AIADMK cadre deciding to change the damaged flag fluttering atop the pole and engaging the crane to remove the old flag and replace it with a new one. When they realized that the pole, too, needed some repairs, they started working on it when the mishap occurred.

The accident raised a series of questions on towering flag masts erected by several political parties dotting the highway between Tambaram and Thozhupedu in Chengalpattu district in recent times. Whether the poles adhered to safety norms and as to who certified their safety were some of the questions raised by the people.

Seemingly most of the flag posts posed a risk of crashing any time, endangering the lives of common people, pedestrians and motorists passing by, some pointed out and wondered as to which government department was responsible for granting permission for their erection along the road.

Some people urged the authorities to remove all the existing flag poles, dotting the highway, and not to grant permission for new ones to be erected. They even sought departmental action against those officials who gave permission for putting up such tall flag masts.

Political parties out to prove their strength in the particular locality and to popularize themselves adopt several techniques like pasting wall posters, constructing memorials, installing statues of leaders and also flying their flags.

Sometimes, the flying of flags turns into a competition between parties and they make their poles taller than the rival party’s, which on the national highway also gives the advantage of being visible from a distance. So there has been a proliferation of tall party flag masts, of late, on the roadside.