Palike given one month to remove illegal hoardings

The  Lokayukta has set a one-month deadline to Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to remove all illegal advertisement hoardings, flex boards and banners in the City.

Acting on a complaint on illegal hoardings in the City, Upalokayukta Justice Subhash B Adi has directed the Palike zonal joint commissioners to take stringent measures, including criminal action, against the persons on whose behalf the hoardings are displayed.

Upalokayukta has directed the Palike to hold joint commissioners of each zone responsible for illegal hoardings. He has also directed the City police commissioner to assist the Palike officials in the removal of hoardings.

The BBMP and City police commissioner have been asked to submit an action taken report on August 20.

Burden on Palike

The direction was issued following a submission by the BBMP stating that apart from losing revenue, the civic agency was spending Rs eight lakh per month to remove illegal hoardings.

The complainant, Saidatta, president of Janahita Vedike, alleged large-scale irregularities in putting up of advertisement hoardings, especially the ones wishing politicians and celebrities on their birthdays.

Tree uprooted

The complainant also alleged that a 50-year-old tree was uprooted near Sacred Heart School at Shoolay Circle for mounting illegal hoardings.

Upalokayukta had directed the BBMP additional commissioner (Advertisement) to submit a report on the illegal hoardings in the City.

The report stated that the City had been divided into eight zones for the purpose of advertisements  - east, west, south, Mahadevapura, Rajarajeshwarinagar, Bommanahalli, Yelahanka and Dasarahalli.

In the entire 800 sq km  of BBMP jurisdiction only 2,260 hoardings had been permitted, including 1,798 commercial and 485 self hoardings. The report also said that there were 1,017 illegal hoardings in the City. 

The additional commissioner said that tenders had been awarded to remove hoardings in Mahadevapura, south and east zones while there were no bidders for the work in rest of the zones.

Political pressure

Justice Adi said, “It has come to my notice that it has become impossible to act against some of the hoardings because of the political pressure. The BBMP has also not given permission to put up any hoardings related to birthdays and anniversaries of politicians. No action could be taken due to several reasons. The corporation has become ineffective in the matters of controlling and prohibiting unauthorised hoardings.”

The Upalokayukta said that the hoardings were not seen before the recent Lok Sabha elections and they had come up at public places like mushrooms.”