Expo in Vellore runs into trouble for starting sans permission

VELLORE: A commercial exhibition inaugurated by Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan has stirred up a controversy.

First it started operations before receiving official permission in Vellore town and the BJP and Hindu Munnani were irked over temple walls being used to draw pictures of Taj Mahal as advertisements for the exhibition, sources revealed.

Coimbatore-based Vijay Traders sought permission to conduct the exhibition on the Vellore Fort Grounds for 93 days between March 18 and June 18 in their applications to the Vellore SP and Vellore Corporation.

However, Collector P Kumaravel Pandian in a letter to the director information and public relations department dated April 11 recommended permitting the exhibition for 48 days from April 24 to June 7. The official sanction was awaited.

However, permission was granted for one day to the operator to conduct the inauguration in which Minister Duraimurugan participated on April 14.

What took everyone by surprise was that M Chandrasekar of Vijay Traders in a letter dated April 15 informed the Chennai ASI office through the Vellore unit that since he had received the NOC from the Corporation he planned to start the exhibition from April 15.

BJP government liaison wing Vellore district president VSC Venketesan immediately shot off letters to the CM, Information Minister, Vellore Collector and PRO stating that the exhibition was being operated without official sanction from April 14.