Mayor continues special awareness drive against flexes

Continuing his drive against flexes and banners, Mayor R Sampath Raj on Sunday held a special awareness campaign at Halasuru with other corporators.

The mayor started the drive across the city on Saturday, days after the High Court of Karnataka pulled up the BBMP over illegal flexes and banners.

Speaking to the media, Raj said: "I have directed all the officials to remove the illegal flexes and banners, including film posters on walls, and also to conduct awareness programmes against the plastic menace."

The BBMP special council has also decided to ban all flexes, banners, buntings, illegal advertisement boards, wall posters and other plastic materials in the city for a year.

On Friday, the high court again gave the civic body the deadline of August 14 to make the city free of flexes and banners.

In the wake of the Independence Day celebrations, Raj requested vendors not to sell plastic flags.

Kannada must

The mayor also directed Palike officials to take action against commercial establishments that are not using Kannada on their name boards. The civic body said 60% of space on name boards should be reserved for Kannada and 40% for English.

25 arrested for putting up flexes, banners The Whitefield division police have arrested 25 people for putting up illegal flexes and banners across the city. Following a direction from the High Court of Karnataka, BBMP officials along with the police are conducting a special drive to rid the city of all illegal flexes and banners. On Saturday, the police arrested 25 people for erecting flexes and banners in Adugodi and Marathahalli police limits, and booked cases against them. Abdul Ahad, DCP, Whitefield, told DH: "We have arrested 25 people and registered cases under the Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1981."