The Hindu : Front Page : 11 buses vandalised near Koyambedu terminus

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 20, 2006
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11 buses vandalised near Koyambedu terminus

Special Correspondent

Shifting of Ambedkar statue suspected to be a reason

EASY TARGET: The shattered windshield of one of the 11 buses that were damaged by miscreants in Chennai on Sunday. — PHOTO: Special arrangement

CHENNAI: Eleven Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses were damaged by miscreants near the Koyambedu bus terminus on Sunday evening even as leaders of organisations, including the Dalit Panthers of India, were talking to the Nungambakkam tahsildar on relocation of the Ambedkar statue in Koyambedu.

According to the police, a group of people threw stones at the buses damaging the front windshields at about 4 p.m. According to a National Highways Authority of India official, the statue was removed on Saturday night to facilitate the construction of a grade separator. The police said that when the discussion between the leaders and the revenue official was on, a group came to the Koyambedu junction and began pelting stones at the buses. No one was injured. The police registered a case and are investigating. The MTC officials estimate that the damage could be around Rs. 18,000.

Chennai Collector R. Jaya has called a meeting with the Highways authorities and leaders of the local community on Monday morning to work out the modalities for the relocation of the statue.

Calling the relocation "temporary shifting," the Collector told The Hindu that an alternative site would be identified at the meeting. "We will complete the work [of relocating the statue] at the earliest."

The statue removal work was taken up only after the Divisional Revenue Officer held a meeting with local community leaders 10 days ago. At the meeting, no one expressed objection to the proposal and the leaders assured the officials of their cooperation.

In May last, the authorities removed the statue of Jawaharlal Nehru from the Kathipara junction and installed it to a nearby site a few weeks later.

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