Periyar, Anna statues at busy junction being shifted

Erode: A life-size statue of social reformer E V Ramasamy and a bust-size one of former Chief Minister C N Annadurai at a busy junction of five roads here is to be shifted to Paneerselvam Park.

Officials said the junction is often congestion and there are traffic jams when politicians and members of the public gather to pay tribute to the two leaders.

Hence, the district administration and police officials along with Highways Department and Municipal Corporation decided to widen the stretch.
An appeal had been made to DMK and Dravida Kazhagam, which installed the statues of Anna and Periyar respectively several years ago, to shift them.

Former Minister and DMK's Erode district unit secretary S Muthuswamy assured officials that the statues would be shifted after getting concurrence from the party high command.

The shifting process commenced this morning.

Muthuswamy told reporters that the two statues would be removed from the existing spot and reinstalled at the nearby Paneerselvam Park.
DMK and DK would bear the expenses for the shifting, he said, adding that trees in the park would not be disturbed.

He also said the re-installation process would be completed within 30 days and the bust-size statue of Anna would be made a life-size one.

The statue of Periyar was installed at the junction on September 17, 1971 by the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi in the presence of Periyar himself.