Deccan Herald 31.12.2013
BBMP resolves to remove all illegal hoardings in City
The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)
Council on Monday passed a resolution to remove all illegal hoardings in
the City. The Palike, however, said it would not bear any expenses in
this regard.
Corporators from all political parties
opposed a resolution moved by Ashwath Narayan, the ruling party leader
in the Council, to postpone a decision on illegal hoardings. They urged
Mayor B S Satyanarayana to pass the resolution.
The Additional
Commissioner of Finance, K Kiran, then told the Council that there was a
direction from the State government not to renew 525 hoardings, which
could thus be removed.
At this juncture, Satyanarayana suggested
that an outside agency could remove the hoardings. Sunkenahalli
Corporator P N Sadashiva, however, objected to the proposal, saying the
Palike should not spend a dime on removing hoardings which were put up
illegally in the first place.
have erected them. “Are we blacklisting the advertisers for violating
the norms? How are we going to collect the penalty from them,” he
wondered.
As the debate moved on, Attiguppe Corporator K
Doddanna claimed that as many as 2,000 illegal hoardings were illegal in
the City, which also should be removed. Taking part in the debate,
Nagapura Corporator S Harish cited the example of an advertiser seeking
permission to set up 500 flowerpots on electricity poles but while doing
so, he erected advertisement boards too.
A police complaint was
filed against the advertiser in April 2013, and a case of cheating
booked but the BBMP regularised the advertisements in November by
collecting Rs 72 lakh.
Two hoardings in front of the BBMP’s West
Zone office had been erected on a stormwater drain but the officials
turned a blind eye, Harish alleged. He also claimed that the advertiser
had sought permission in February 2013, but the application was not
processed deliberately for four months so that it could be perceived as
deemed permission.
The Mayor also sought an explanation from the
West Zone commissioner but was unsatisfied by the reply. He then
directed the BBMP Commissioner M Lakshminarayana to initiate action
against the official in question.
Lakshminarayana assured that
penalty would be imposed and an undertaking sought from the defaulter
firms not to repeat the act. Corporators, however, remained displeased.
They insisted that illegal hoardings be removed. Accordingly, the
resolution was passed.
Mayor Satyanarayana told the Council that a
team of architectural students from California will study ways to
improve the chaotic Richmond Circle. The students witnessed the
proceedings of the meeting.
