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Remove unauthorised statues from public places: Madras HC to TN

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the state government to identify and remove unauthorised statues and buildings in public areas within three months, and to establish ‘leaders parks’ to relocate existing statues and install new ones if permission is granted.

Justice SM Subramaniam dismissed a writ suit contesting orders to remove a statue of BR Ambedkar erected on Meikkal poramboke land in Ranipet district, saying the problem of unauthorised statue installation had not been handled adequately by the enforcement authorities. The judge ordered the Home Secretary to locate and remove structures from highways, public roads, government properties and Meikkal poramboke land in the state within a certain time frame.

The judge ordered the state government not to grant any more permissions to place statues in public locations as they infringe on people’s rights. He also issued a complete guideline for statue installation and urged the government to find suitable locations for the ‘leaders park’ so that the sculptures could be relocated without waiting for authorization. ‘The first respondent (Chief Secretary) is directed to identify lands for creation of the required number of leaders parks across the state of Tamil Nadu, for the erection of new statues and for relocation/replacement of existing statues,’ the decision noted.

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The entire process must be completed within six months and the maintenance costs must be recovered from those who installed the statues and structures, according to the order, which also stated that if the process is not completed in that time, the concerned authorities can use the Revenue Recovery Act to recover the money.
The Supreme Court ruling controlling the placement of monuments in public spaces, as per the court, has not been successfully applied, causing disturbance in many sensitive areas, particularly during public celebrations.

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