After 10 days of the implementation of model code of conduct 40 per cent of the hoardings are yet to go.
Hoardings continue to remain visible across the city despite the model conduct has come into effect. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had set a deadline of March 13 for the removal of hoardings from public places but it has already expired. This only goes to show the lackadaisical attitude on the part of the civic body. Few days back, MNS supremo Raj Thackeray had instructed to remove all the hoardings in Pune but banners were not pulled down.
Most of the banners which are being seen in city belong to political parties. In most of the hoardings, parties have wished their leaders on the occasion of their birthdays. While in some others, leaders have mentioned about the work done by them in their constituency. All these steps are taken by politicians to woo voters before the Lok Sabha election.
Senior BMC officials had instructed the administration to remove all such illegal posters and banners as soon as possible before the expiry of the deadline. However, the civic body has failed to perform its duties amicably.
According to the civic body’s license department, more than 7,131 banners were removed after the model code of conduct was imposed on March 5. Over 60 per cent of illegal banners, posters and hoardings put up across Mumbai since the beginning of the year have been removed in the last nine days by the BMC.
According to the data provided by the department, BMC has removed 7,131 illegal banners and boards from January to March 12, a majority of which were political. As many as 2,548 political banners, 667 boards, 437 posters, 1,160 flags and 36 wall defacement were cleared — which make a total of 4,848 out of the 7,131. The rest comprised 1,940 posters in the religion category and 343 in commercial.
According to the data provided by the department, a whopping 30,865 illegal banners, posters and boards were removed last year by the civic body — a majority of them were political.
Sharad Bande, Superintendent of the License Department said, “Almost all the illegal hoardings and banners have been removed from across the city. The work is complete almost, though there may be a few sites where these illegal advertisements continue to remain. These will be removed within a day or two. We will see to it that all illegal hoardings are removed.”
The BMC officials have failed to finalize a policy to regulate the proliferation of such illegal advertisements. From March 14, the corporation will enforce a complete ban on them as per the guidelines of the Election Commission.
