Is poster menace beyond repair?

Is poster menace beyond repair?
Posters Of Movies, Job Offers And Netas Dot City Walls

The TImes of India

Bangalore: At traffic signals, if you turn left or right, posters pasted on walls exhort you to watch Swades/Huchcha/Snake Lady, or ‘learn English in 10 days’ or to ‘Chalo Dilli’. Nullifying all beautification attempts of the BCC/BDA, posters on any and every available space stare at you like an ugly sight.

A conservative estimate puts the number of posters at a given time in the city at close to 1 lakh. High on the list of defacers are cinema posters swamping flyover pillars and walls. The next defaulters are job-offer posters, propaganda of political parties or leaders’ posters, rallies etc.

A long-time Bangalorean explains the predicament he found himself in because of the poster menace: “I’m used to waiting for signal to turn left at Shivananda junction, so imagine my relief when one fine day a signpost said, ‘free left turn’. After swerving left, I was stopped by policemen who demanded a fine. I later realised there was a ‘contact for jobs’ sticker on the word ‘No’ in the signpost. This can really endanger many commuters.’’

Sample this: Walls along Mehkri Circle, Windsor Manor Circle, Okalipuram Bridge, the month-old underpass at Seshadripuram, walls along Race Course Road, Palace Guttahalli and Shivajinagar are a barrage of posters wiping out any trace of the original wall.

For commuters, colourful posters displaying skin have often been a distraction, so much so that at traffic junctions motorists move slowly, holding up traffic. Says DCP (East) Jayram: “We can punish offenders under provisions of the Disfigurement of Public Property Act. I’ve instructed BCC members to go around identifying the worst places. So far, no case has been filed and, therefore, no fear instilled in people. We’ll shortly be making a list and filing cases in the jurisdiction police station.’’

The BCC has budgetary provisions for beautification and developing the city, but cleansing it off posters is now under the health department’s purview. Says health officer, BCC, Dr NagarBett: “It actually comes under the advertisement department but because of staff shortage, they have put it under the health department. Our job is to remove the posters and keep city walls clean. But it is very difficult to identify offenders and impose punishment. Hyderabad has made it a cognisable offence and without giving room for bail, the offender can be imprisoned. We need to get in a programme like that.’’

But the president of Residents’ Welfare Association, Sanjaynagar, says offenders can be identified and punished. “Suppose there’s a political party picture/logo, they can identify it. For film posters, the printer’s name will be there. We’ve to see that this does not spread.’’