The Hindu                   23.03.2013

Poll code brings down hoardings, banners

Executive engineers, assistant executive engineers of the BBMP have been given the task of removing all hoardings.— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

Deputy Commissioners told to remove flex banners put up along State and national highways.

With the announcement of elections to the State Legislative Assembly on May 5, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and authorities in all districts are waging a battle against banners, hoardings, cut-outs and posters of political parties and leaders, as directed by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer.

Special teams

BBMP has formed teams for removing cut-outs, hoardings, banners and posters of political parties on Thursday night, said CEO Anil Kumar Jha. Nearly a hundred truckloads of cut-outs and banners were removed in the BBMP limits on Thursday and Friday. “If removed cut-outs and banners are erected again, we will file criminal cases against such sponsors of banners,” BBMP officials told The Hindu .

The Election Commission has also banned defacement of public properties. No wall writing, pasting of posters/papers or defacement in any other form, or erecting/displaying of cut-outs, hoardings, banners flags would be permitted on any government premises during the enforcement of code of conduct.

BBMP has formed division-wise teams to remove all kinds of posters and banners. Executive engineers, assistant executive engineers have been given the task of removing all hoardings. All removed hoardings have been stored at zonal offices of the BBMP, officials said. The Deputy Commissioners, who are Returning Officers, have been instructed to take steps to remove all flex printing materials and colourful banners erected on the roadsides on national and State highways, district and taluk headquarters. Banners have been put out to highlight the government’s achievements or performance of the candidates during the last five years, officials sources said.

BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah held a meeting with CEO and discussed various steps taken by the civic body to ensure implementation of model code of conduct.

Not all are down

Despite strict warning by the CEO, cut-outs, posters and banners of contesting candidates were found on Friday in several places in Govindarajanagar, Vijayanagar, Rajajinagar and Mahalakshmi Layout Assembly constituencies in Bangalore. In fact, new hoardings and banners were found in the Govindiarajanagar constituency after announcement of elections to the Assembly, said a trader in Vijayanagar.

The Hindu       20.03.2013 

Structures that came down are all encroachments: BBMP

PRECARIOUS:A temple and a footbridge over the storm water drain in Okalipuram are also in danger of collapsing. Chunks of the retaining wall of the drain have already come off.— PHOTO: K. GOPINATHAN

The three houses that came down on Monday morning and the other houses abutting the storm water drain in Okalipuram have all been labelled as encroachments by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). However, the residents rubbish the BBMP’s claim insisting they have the requisite documents.

Satish Nataraj told The Hindu they have been living in the area, behind the Muddaiah Silk Factory, since 1973. “We were earlier in Swatantrapalya. Our houses were acquired for the construction of a public toilet. The then councillor Balasundaram asked us to build our houses here. We have ration cards, electoral photo identity cards and even Aadhaar cards now,” he said.

Another resident, A. Selvaraj, said that their family, after moving to the area, had even paid tax to the corporation, displaying a photocopy of the receipt. The receipt for Rs. 39 tax amount in 1973 was issued by the erstwhile Bangalore City Corporation. He, however, did not produce any documents to prove that tax had been paid thereafter.

‘No documents’

BBMP officials said the houses were all encroachments and their owners had no property documents to prove their ownership. They told The Hindu on condition of anonymity that weak foundations had ended in structure collapse. The buildings stood over the already weakened retaining wall of the major storm water drain of the Vrishabhavati Valley.

An official said the masonry of the retaining wall was at least 50 years old. It had become weak due to exposure to the elements over the years and due to the chemical reactions from the sewage let into the storm water drain. “Work on reconstruction and strengthening of the retaining wall was taken up because it had weakened. In some places, the stones have come away. We are strengthening it with cement.”

The official pointed to the Shakti Ganapathi Temple standing on a dilapidated section of the wall, indicating its precarious position. The footbridge connecting two bylanes over the drain was also in a bad shape. “We want to bring down those structures as well, as they are accidents waiting to happen. But residents are opposed to this.”

Work taken up

Emergency works on remodelling of the drain that flows from Sankey Tank to Vrishabhavati Valley has been taken up at Rs.1.2 crore. The BBMP officials claimed that the work was taken up only 15 days ago, while the residents said it was going on for the past two months.

Title deeds

Meanwhile, Gandhinagar MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao said that most residents there have been given hakku patras (title deeds). “Only six houses were left out. The file regarding issuing hakku patras to them is currently with the BBMP Commissioner.” He added that once the Commissioner approves the proposal, the residents who have now been rendered homeless will be sanctioned homes under some housing scheme.