Mumbai residents demand stricter action against illegal banners and flex displays

With political rallies and festive celebrations adding to Mumbairsquos cluttered streetscape residents say banners posters and party flags continue to spring up across the city despite the BMCrsquos lsquoFlex Free Campaignrsquo From Dadar and Shivaji Park to Worli Bandra and the suburbs citizens complain that the displays obstruct footpaths obscure landmarks and create potential roadsafety hazardsBanners and flex displays at the NESCO Centre in Goregaon adding to Mumbairsquos cluttered streetscape amid the BMCrsquos drive against unauthorised advertisements PicSayyed Sameer AbediThe problem is also visible along the Western Express Highway and in Bandra East near the district collectorrsquos office and Chetna College where banners posters and flags remain on displayThe BMC says it has removed more than 52000 banners and flexes since January However residents argue that new displays appear faster than civic teams can take them down leaving the city caught in a recurring cycle of removal and reinstallationBanners and flex displays at the NESCO Centre in Goregaon adding to Mumbairsquos cluttered streetscape amid the BMCrsquos drive against unauthorised advertisements PicSayyed Sameer AbediDadar and Shivaji Park A familiar sightPolitical banners and displays linked to competing rallies have appeared around Dadar and Shivaji Park residents said adding that the arearsquos political significance and festive gatherings make it a recurring hotspotldquoDadar and Shivaji Park are known for their political history and prominent festivities which is why the citizens never have respite from the billboardsrdquo said Vaibhav Rege secretary of Dadar ALM Residents say banners are often placed at pedestrian crossings and junctions inconveniencing commuters and pedestriansPolitical banners add to the visual clutter in Kalbadevi despite the BMCrsquos ongoing lsquoFlex Free Campaignrsquo PicAshish RajeldquoThere are banners at pedestrian crossings and junctions While we have formerly raised these issues actively yet there is no respite Now the onus should fall on politicians and party workers because even the BMC cannot keep up with these hoardings that pop up every dayrdquo Rege saidPolitical banners and displays at Kala Nagar in Bandra East where residents say such installations often obstruct footpaths and remain long after events are over PicShadab KhanResidents have also complained about banners obscuring landmarks at Shivaji Park including the Senapati Bapat memorial ldquoThere is a Senapati Bapat memorial at Shivaji Park and the statue often gets covered by banners which led to our previous complaintsrdquo Rege saidBanners follow residentsPolitical banners line streets across Mumbai including areas around Shivaji Park Mahim Tardeo and Mumbai Central PicAshish RajeResidents say the clutter is not limited to political events with commercial promotions adding to the problem ldquoThe banners can be an eyesore I have been seeing them near my house in Worli I noticed them on my way to work in Khar and I even came across a large line of billboards outside the Mahalakshmi temple when I went there during Navaratri Itrsquos not just politicians it is the brands toordquo said Karan Hingorani a Worli residentPolitical banners and flex displays line streets in Bandra adding to the cityrsquos visual clutter and raising concerns over obstructed pedestrian access PicsBy Special ArrangementHingorani said banners near crossings and along roads could also create safety risks ldquoThere are also places where a pedestrian zebra crossing leads into a banner Sometimes they block the driverrsquos view of the road and can lead to safety hazardsrdquo he addedBMCrsquos crackdownThe BMC said it has removed 52448 banners and flexes since the beginning of the year It also reported taking down 3537 unauthorised advertisements during a special drive between October 8 and 16 The civic body said four FIRs had been registered in connection with the crackdown It had also written to the police seeking further legal action in 333 other casesBandra Residents complain to netasResidents in Bandra East say they have begun approaching political leaders directly to prevent banners from being put up in their neighbourhoodldquoWe have directly written to political leaders asking them to ensure that these banners donrsquot come up in the area Having banners across the footpath blocks pedestrian access while previously I have physically moved a banner that was getting in the way We have to educate everyone against this recurring habit because usually these banners donrsquot go down even after the event is overrdquo said Siddharth Pardhe secretary of the Bandra East ALM Rekha Nigam a Bandra resident said banners detract from the arearsquos greenery and raised questions about the permissions required to put them upldquoWe have a green locality with lots of trees and the billboards deface the road Since this is promotional material we wonder what are the legalities and processes one must follow to erect billboardsrdquo she saidAnother resident Jimmy Francis said banners also affect access to residential buildings ldquoWe live in a premium society in Bandra and our entire approach road gets filled with banners Sometimes they end up blocking the gates of residential societiesrdquo he saidBMC action at a glance52448Banners and flexes removed since the beginning of the year3537Unauthorised advertisements removed during the special drive from October 8 to 164FIRs registered in connection with the crackdown according to the BMC333Other cases referred to the police for further legal actionProposed measure QR codes to help verify whether banners and flexes are authorisedThe BMC has also proposed making QR codes mandatory to help verify the validity of such displays Despite the ongoing drive residents say enforcement needs to be accompanied by greater compliance from political parties organisers and commercial advertisers They argue that banners should be removed after eventsldquoThe BMC is to remove these banners tomorrow Wednesday onwards and inform the police about illegal ones We already have a drive underway that has been going on since October 8 for which we have daily reports coming inrdquo said a BMC official