After HC order, a city free of posters this poll season

Kodigehalli, airport road, before the ban on flex banners.

The High Court of Karnataka’s intervention and subsequent ban on flexes and hoardings in the city seem to have a prolonged effect. Despite the election season, there were hardly any flexes or hoardings in the city, a survey has shown.

Unlike the 2018 Assembly election, where posters, flexes and hoardings had pictures of political leaders everywhere, this election has been free of eyesore posters and flexes, thanks to the high court’s August 2018 order and its implementation by the BBMP.

A survey conducted by The Ugly Indian, which clicked about 2,000 photographs of about 2,200 metro and flyover pillars across the city a day before the polls on April 18, found that there were no posters of any candidate or political party.

About a year ago, of the 2,000 pillars, 1,000 were cleaned, painted and protected with poster repellent designs by The Ugly Indian. The few pillars that were defaced have been cleaned up as part of regular maintenance.

On the 1,000 unprotected pillars, very few posters were found.

Though they have taken some vandalism, they are free of posters.

Some of the pillars that were painted have started to look old and dusty.

The Ugly Indian will be taking up a city-wide cleaning, maintenance and repainting project soon.

According to one of The Ugly Indian volunteers, unlike other cities, Bengaluru’s collective mindset about posters and flexes have changed in less than a year.

“Just a year ago, we could see posters of political leaders pasted on paid advertisement, mounted on each metro pillar. Of course, the high court order made a huge difference in curbing the menace,” added the volunteer.

According to a BBMP official, since there is a ban on flexes, there are no banners or buntings in the city. Besides the court order, the BBMP passed a resolution in the council meeting to ban all posters and flexes.