The Indian Express                14.04.2013

LMC removes BSP hoardings on eve of Ambedkar birth anniversary

Hours after the BSP workers erected hoardings in Gomti Nagar area surrounding Ambedkar Memorial where the party is going to hold a function on Sunday morning to celebrate the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) removed most of the hoardings saying they were put without permission. The hoarding were put up in the wee hours of Saturday.

The BSP termed the LMC's move as vindictive mindset of Samajwadi Party (SP) government to stop the party from celebrating Ambedkar's birth anniversary. BSP general secretary Naseemuddin Siddiqui reached at the place where the LMC workers were removing the hoardings and objected against it.

He said the SP government, which is working with the vindictive mindset, has done all this to insult the constitution maker. Siddiqui said the LMC had given permission to erect 515 hoardings but they erected only about hundred and even those were removed by the officials. He said the LMC left only a few hoardings after he protested against the removal and sought the list of areas which are prohibited for erecting the hoardings.

"The hoardings of the chief minister have been erected in this area for months but they were never removed. We put the hoardings just for a day to celebrate the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar but they are removed immediately. I know this is not the area prohibited for erecting hoardings. I have asked the LMC to provide the list of prohibited areas and if they do not provide the same, we will then think of re-erecting the hoardings," Siddiqui said.

While LMC city commissioner R K Singh could not be reached for his comments despite repeated attempts, R K Gupta, LMC's zonal officer, said the BSP had been given permission to erect hoarding only at the structures which already exist. He said only the hoardings which were not put at pre-built structures were removed.