Report on illegal hoardings: Palike fails to meet deadline

The 10-day deadline set for the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to submit a report on illegal hoardings in the City, has already expired but the report is yet to be prepared.

It was on November 5 at the meeting of the BBMP Standing Committee on Taxation that City in charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy had set the deadline to Palike officials to submit a detailed report on the number of illegal and legal hoardings in the Palike limits. Two weeks on, the work still remains incomplete.

Reddy had sought the report, pointing out that the BBMP was not able to earn the desired amount as tax from hoardings due a number of illegal hoardings in the City.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, a senior BBMP official said the report was yet to be submitted to the minister. “The number of illegal hoardings is high. In order to get accurate details, a zone-wise collection of statistics is still being done.”

The official added that about 30 per cent of the work was complete and that the rest could be done only by December end.

‘Unaware of deadline’

“We are unaware of the ten-day deadline. We were asked to submit it by January 6,” the official claimed. “The work has begun but it is time consuming as statistics from each ward has to be complied.”

The BBMP Commissioner N Lakshminarayana said the work was on and so far, the Palike had made a list of about 2,500 illegal hoardings.

Earlier, even the Upa Lokayukta Justice Subhash Adi had directed the Palike assistant commissioner (advertisement) to submit a report on the action taken against those who had put up illegal hoardings. A complaint was filed with the Upa Lokayukta when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the City in October, stating that the number of hoardings and buntings put up in the City had exceeded the prescribed limit.

Besides illegal hoardings, as many as 25,000 posters and banners that were put up in the City have been removed and a fine has also been imposed in a few cases, Palike officials said.