‘Politicos stand between BBMP and illegal banners’

BBMP officials say that the lawmakers themselves often stop them from taking down illegal banners and flex boards, with the police offering little assistance to the corporation in discharging its duty. Never mind that the corporators and MLAs unanimously cry hoarse over the problem in the council and the assembly.

A revenue official of the BBMP said he recently tried to remove an illegal banner that was put up by a pro-Kannada organisation in Chickpet, but the members of the organisation threatened him with dire consequences and abused him. He said the police constable accompanying him expressed helplessness and therefore he had to retreat, without taking down the banner.
The BBMP officials say they find it difficult to remove banners and hoardings that are put up by politicians, their supporters or pro-Kannada organisations. The BBMP bows down to their intimidatory tactics. However, when it comes to taking action against schools or business establishments in this regard, the civic body puts its foot down and levies penalty. The west division of the BBMP’s advertisement department collected `2.3 lakh as penalty from schools and business establishments for putting up illegal banners in 2010-11. It collected `70,162 between April 201 and December 2011.

Even as business houses and schools were penalised, not a single case was filed against any politician. A revenue inspector of the BBMP said the department had once filed cases against the Congress’s RV Devaraj and DK Shivakumar, but both said they were not behind the banners featuring them.
The revenue officials said the MLAs were far better than the corporators as the latter, even though they are elected to protect the interests of the city, throw their weight behind their supporters, who take up the ‘initiative’ of putting up huge banners and hoardings, thus defacing the city.

Kathyayini Chamaraju, trustee, CIVIC, criticised the BBMP for not removing the illegal banners. She said the BBMP had been losing a lot of revenue because of these illegal banners. She said the BBMP should strictly start collecting fine as this would discourage people from defacing the city’s walls.

AS Sadashivaiah, chairperson of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, criticised politicians, especially corporators, for putting up banners and flex boards. He said the hoardings were an eyesore and he would advise the BBMP commissioner to rid the city of them.

NS Ramakanth, member of Solid-Waste Management Round Table, Bengaluru, said besides removing illegal banners, the BBMP should take care in disposing of them too. He said that at the office of the BBMP’s assistant revenue officer in Jayanagar, heaps of flex boards were dumped. He said that the banners were made of inflammable material.