The month-long preparations made by the district administration under the direct supervision of the Minister for Rural Development and Municipal Administration S.P. Velumani did seem to work out well as the facilities provided at the government sponsored private job fair were near perfect.

Even as the turnout was much more than the expected one lakh, the facilities provided by the district administration, including drinking water, sanitation, waiting halls for parents of the candidates, travel arrangements, and limited food, were adequate.

But what played spoilsport on the big day was the traffic chaos, despite the diversions made by the city police. Though the congestion was caused by vehicles that were headed for the job fair, traffic did come to a standstill between Ukkadam and Kovaipudhur Pirivu junction.

The city police tried their best to clear the vehicles from the premises that caused the traffic and even did not allow any vehicle inside the premises. While this caused a flutter on the Palakkad Main Road, the party hoardings also overshadowed government billboards right along the road. Starting from more than 40-foot flex hoardings of the Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, there were party posters in all colours and sizes decorating the entire Palakkad Main Road stretch. Some of those flags were tied on the middle of the road.

One of the job seekers even wondered loud if it was a government function or a party meeting. “The party banners far outnumber the government posters,” he said. Reacting to this, a government official said that the hoardings were meant to direct people to the venue, and will be removed immediately after the event ends. “Proper permissions were obtained before setting up the hoardings,” he clarified.