Palike pulls down about 50,000 flexes in 2 days

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has pulled down about 50,000 flexes, posters and buntings  in the last two days, courtesy of the model code of conduct for Lok Sabha elections.

The Karnataka High Court had twice directed the BBMP to remove all the posters on the City roads. A heap of posters, banners and buntings was seen behind the Palike head office near the glass house on Friday.

“These posters are only from in and around the head office. There are such mountains of flexes and buntings in each zone and division-level offices,” said a BBMP officer, who wished not to be quoted.

On October 7, 2012, the then Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, Vikramajit Sen, and Justice B V Nagarathna had directed the BBMP to book criminal cases against political leaders whose photographs are printed on the banners and posters, which were put up illegally.

Again on September 24 last year, a division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice B V Nagarathna had remarked that the colourful banners and hoardings were causing accidents. 

The observations were made while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Rajaram Sooryambail and others against the menace of posters in the City and elsewhere in Karnataka.