Hoardings that are eyesores

Hoardings that are eyesores

The Hindu

BMP removed 10,000 hoardings last month

Bangalore: Bangalore is witnessing a "cultural defacement" of sorts. At various junctions, hoardings announcing birthdays or appointment of individuals to some political office or the other have surfaced. These hoardings, supposedly unauthorised, carry a string of pictures of the well- wishers of the person celebrating his birthday. These eyesores have remained even after the birthday has been forgotten.

One of the spots that is often witness to these ugly hoardings is near the Town Hall junction. This trend has come into vogue with the introduction of digital printing, wherein reproduction of prints is quick and easy; unlike in the past when hoardings had to be painted and it took days.

Many hoardings have come up without the sanction of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) and they are not on permanent structures, hence could pose dangers too, if there is a gusty wind. These hoardings are unregulated and have surfaced at many places. The BMP is not getting any revenue, and importantly it is not able to regulate such "private" celebrations in public places. BMP officials told The Hindu that permission for putting up hoardings was granted in some cases and the approval depended on the location.

Concurring with the fact that such hoardings turned out to be a distraction to road users, they said that efforts were on to put a check on unauthorised hoardings. The authorities said that regulatory notices were issued to those who had not obtained permission for putting up hoardings. However, private hoardings had become the "order of the day" more so with political parties. The private hoardings that announced the birthdays of the political bigwigs had a timeframe of 10 to 15 days for display and this also depended on the location.

Though the civic body had permitted limited number of hoardings to come up on its property on the condition that they should carry a civic message also, the rule has been observed more in breach.

Sources said that to prevent illegal hoardings that marred the city's skyline and at times, caused traffic hazards, the BMP had removed 10,000 hoardings last month. More such drives are on the anvil.