Civic body has permitted not more than 345 hoardings from 69 groups; though illegal ones are being plucked out, more will come up in the approaching festive season, fear BMC officials
Civic body has permitted not more than 345 hoardings from 69 groups; though illegal ones are being plucked out, more will come up in the approaching festive season, fear BMC officials
It is that time of the year when, with a string of festivals underway, political parties and other groups itching to gain visibility dot the city's streets with banners and hoardings giving their hearty greetings to the electorate. As always, the banners put up for Janmashtami far exceed the number permitted by the BMC.
BMC workers weed out the illegally mounted
banners in F-South Ward (Sewri) yesterday
MiD DAY found out that only 345 banners/hoardings in the city had the requisite permission, while the rest, roughly estimated to be close to 4,000, are illegal. The BMC removed 1,394 hoardings yesterday itself and the clean-up is far from over.
According to BMC sources, before the festival, 69 groups had taken permissions for putting up the hoardings.
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"On an average, every group had the permission to put up not more than five hoardings, which should come up to 345.
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The rest of them do not have permission from the licence department of the civic authority," said an official from the department.
Every ward has a licence department, which gives permissions for hoardings, and takes a deposit that is not to be returned if any norms are violated.
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The corporation collected Rs 49,546 in surety from the 69 licence seekers for mounting hoardings for Janmashtami.
More to come up
Licence Superintendent S Avhad said, "The illegal banners are being pulled down at ward level, and they are more than triple the number of permitted hoardings."
However, the exercise defeats the purpose because, when the five-day period for Janmashtami banners is over, other festivals would come up, heralding more eyesores in the form of posters.
Said Avhad, "The number of banners would only increase as political workers put them up throughout the city during upcoming festivals."
He said the BMC was helpless in ending the nuisance. "We cannot catch or fine anyone putting up the hoardings as the work is mainly done at night.
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We require better facilities and manpower if we are to maintain the city's beauty."
Rs 47 crore
The amount the BMC collected last year from illegal banners, including commercial advertising and political, religious and informational messages
Did you know
>>The BMC allows only 10 banners from one political party in one ward, but each ward always has more.
>>It charges Rs 40 for the first sq m of the banner and Rs 25 for each subsequent unit after that.
>>It can fine offenders anywhere between Rs 1,000-Rs 5,000 for the illegal hoardings put up by them.
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