Even as residents continue to complain about the increase in illegal political hoardings, posters and banners in the city ten days after the election results were declared, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) says that it will quicken the process and remove all illegal hoardings by May 31. The civic body removed only 73 political banners, posters and hoardings in April, and the number further reduced to six till May 25. This, compared to the 7,131 that were removed following the imposition of the model code of conduct in March. “It is astonishing that despite a Bombay High Court (HC) order on removal of such illegal political hoardings, one can see them all over the city. When we complain to the ward office, they fail to remove it. When we tell the local political party office, they threaten us,” said Gordon Jacobs of the Association of Concerned Catholics. Expressing displeasure over the increasing number of illegal hoardings in the state, the HC in February had asked the BMC to pull down all posters obstructing the smooth flow of traffic and causing trouble to pedestrians. It had also said that it would hold the municipal commissioners as co-conspirators responsible for putting up illegal hoardings. “There are some 1,000 illegal posters in Andheri alone. We have tried complaining to civic officials about the menace. They keep giving us some excuse or the other. This signifies nothing but a racket between the political parties and the BMC,”said James John from Action for Good Governance and Networking in India (AGNI). However, the civic body has maintained that the process of removing illegal hoardings is carried out everyday in the city. “We have been extra vigilant from the day the election results were declared. All the 24 ward officers have been directed to remove the hoardings with the help of the police department whenever they spot one. We will make sure that all the hoardings are pulled down by the end of May,” said Damodar Hegde, assisstant superintendent of the BMC’s licence department. tanushree.venkatraman@expressindia.com
