HDMC will act against unauthorized hoardings

HUBLI: If you are one among those who are disfiguring the city by pasting unauthorized posters and putting up hoardings, then you will be caught and penalized for your act.

Reason: Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) has now come out with a comprehensive action plan to stop agencies and people from making the twin cities an eyesore by blatantly pasting posters and hoardings.

In response to citizens’ complaints that many places are being disfigured by unauthorized posters and hoardings, the HDMC is hell bent on ridding Hubli-Dharwad from illegal hoardings.

Sources said HDMC has formed a committee comprising officers from revenue and marketing departments to implement the action plan. The team headed by deputy revenue officer is expected to launch the anti-hoarding drive in the next fortnight.

A revenue officer said that illegal hoardings, billboards and posters are mushrooming across the city. “Such illegal posters, including those depicting films and ads, and banners have disfigured the city,” he added.

About 30-40% of hoardings put up in the twin cities are unauthorized, because of which HDMC is incurring heavy losses. “HDMC has collected only Rs 13 lakh fee as against the target of Rs 25 lakh from hoardings, thanks to illegal hoardings,” the officer said.

Speaking to `The Times of India’, HDMC commissioner K V Trilokchandra said that the licence number allotted by the HDMC should be displayed on each hoarding by the agency/ person concerned. Otherwise, action will be taken against those who put it up, considering the hoarding as unauthorized.

“Agencies and businessmen who have put up illegal hoardings have already been warned. They will be penalized if they fail to remove them. This apart, the owners of cinema halls have also been asked not to disfigure the city by pasting unauthorized posters,” he said.