Rapped by the Bombay high court for being indifferent towards illegal banners, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is now planning to formulate a new policy, which calls for a blanket ban on political hoardings and banners in the city.
According to the civic officials, political banners are the main reason behind the city’s beauty getting defaced. There have been repeated demands from people to take strict action against political hoardings and banners. Keeping this in mind, a blanket ban on political banners is proposed in the new policy.
The high court on Wednesday had directed the BMC to bring the illegal hoardings down within 24 hours.
According to civic figures, by 6 pm, the civic body on Thursday removed more than 4,000 hoardings and banners across the city. About 95 per cent of them were political in nature, said civic officials.
Additional municipal commissioner Mohan Adtani said, “We will discuss this issue in the group leader’s meeting to inform them about the ban on political hoardings.”
According to him, no permission will be given to political parties to put up their hoardings till the policy is finalised. The BMC will finalise this policy in a month.
“We are planning to allow hoardings of only religious and social nature in the city. We have also decided to register police complaints against people who put up illegal hoardings under the Prevention of Defacement of Property Act. The maximum punishment will be a jail term for three months, or a fine of `2,000 or both. If anyone opposes it, legal action will be taken,” said Mr Adtani.
Municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte had vowed to make the city banner-free in his budget speech. On this backdrop, the high court’s order has come as a welcome move for the civic body to make it a reality, said civic officials.
“The BMC will continue the drive to remove these illegal hoarding till 11 pm on Thursday and a detailed report of the action taken will be submitted to the high court on Friday,” said Mr Adtani.
Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani said, “The political parties do not have constitutional rights. The civic body can do what it wants in the interest of the public in keeping with hygiene and civic sense.”