Offensive to sight and senses

Offensive to sight and senses
Nina C George
Huge faces of politicians looms out of hoardings put up in every corner of the City. While Bangaloreans detest the sights that spoil the City's serene skyline, BBMP seems to overlook the eyesores.


There's a new eyesore on the City's skyline: Private billboards and hoarding dotting the horizon. Go to any nook and corner of the City, there's no respite from smiling visages of big-time politicians and local netas.

Any occasion appears to be enough for these hoardings to spring up. Visits, birthdays, deaths of politicians or festivals from Christmas to New Year to Sankranthi to Rajyotsava anything will do for an ostentatious billboard to be erected. Even a neighbourhood youth's demise is enough for one to put up a poster, though a sombre one paying 'Shraddanjali' (tributes).

Though political parties form the chunk of the poster stickers, NGOs and some small-time public organisations like neighbourhood residents' associations too take to these hoardings to grab attention.

The trend

"Fifteen or twenty individuals pool in a certain amount to erect a poster during festivals or to wish their leader on his or her birthday. This is done to show our support and cooperation to the leader. Politics and moving around with politicians does give us a sense of power," says a youth leader of the Congress.

Politicians, however, claim they are unaware of who puts their pictures on these posters. They don't know who these self-proclaimed supporters are.

S Suresh Kumar, general secretary and spokesperson of the State BJP unit, says he is against this habit of using politicians' pictures and sticking posters across the City. “Looks like the civic authorities have become helpless in curbing these activities. None of these people who stick the posters abide by BBMP rules. They neither pay the government nor seek their permission.”

He says it's a bad culture to use pictures of known faces like politicians and have some other unknown people's pictures stuck alongside. “Some posters remain in the City for two or three months after they are erected. This is nothing short of anarchy,” he says.

Party’s designs The content, pictures, design and even the size is decided by the parties who want the poster done up. The poster maker simply adheres to their demands. “Party supporters and public welfare organisations don't mind spending a few more bucks to get a poster of their choice, even if it is not in keeping with the size stipulated by the BBMP,” says a poster-maker of Bombay Arts.

The most popular sizes of posters are usually 10-ft by 10-ft, 10-ft wide and 40-ft high and 20-ft wide and 50-ft high. These posters cost anywhere between Rs 1,000 to Rs 30,000.

“We simply give our customers what they want," says Pandian, V J Graphics, a poster-maker in the City.

JOINT COMMISSIONER SPEAK

Most of these posters violate the BBMP bye-laws and the BBMP throws its hands up helplessly, saying curbing this poster menace is beyond its reach.

BBMP recently upgraded its bye-laws to fall in line with changing times. It seeks to prohibit advertisements in certain areas of the City, regulate them in non-prohibited areas, promote safety of the public, improve the visual aesthetics and encourage innovative use of design to achieve aesthetic and commercial balance.

The bye-laws pertaining to self-advertising clearly states: "Any person desiring to erect exhibit, fix, retain or display advertisements on banners, temporary arches, temporary hoarding, building wraps shall submit to the commissioner, not less than 15 working days before the advertisement is to be erected or before printing copies of advertisements or painting advertisements or exhibiting them in any manner. This permission shall apply to all cases of promotional, whether of a scheme or product, for limited or open period, and for all cases of display."

This rule is adhered to only in its violation, admits a BBMP source. If proper payments are made by every single poster stickers in the City, the BBMP must earn not less than Rs two lakh a month. This is not the case.

"The BBMP has a 15-strong squad to remove illegal posters. There are times when our men are beaten up and assaulted by those who have put up these posters when we try to take them off. We face life threatening situations whenever we try to enforce existing laws," says joint Commissioner S N Nagaraju.

He says nearly 90 per cent of the posters in the City don't contain any details of the one who has put it up and these people don't pay up the amount. "The legal posters must have a seal of the BBMP and a copy of the permission accorded by the BBMP. If that's missing than it's an illegal poster which has to go off," says Nagaraju.

One-fourth of the total amount paid to the BBMP for the posters is collected as deposit. This money is refunded if the posters are removed on time and the money is confiscated if the posters remain. The BBMP imposes nothing called ‘fine’ in case of any violation as regards posters.