Haphazardly placed publicity materials with beaming faces of politicians continue to dot the Capital’s urban landscape, while the Narendra Modi government’s Swachh Bharat campaign aims to clean up the city.
Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung had on November 21 ordered Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi, Delhi Chief Secretary D.M. Spolia and the municipal commissioners to take strict action against those defacing public property.
He asked them to ensure compliance with the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act and initiate strict action against offenders. A statement issued from the LG House on Monday said that a small section of the population committing this crime not only disfigured the public property but also nullified the government’s efforts to give Delhi a clean look.
“There will be zero tolerance towards those trying to deface public property,” the statement said.
However, officials in the three municipal corporations agreed that the one of biggest offenders were politicians, who end up putting up illegal hoardings, posters and banners. With the election season setting into the Capital, the advertisement war is already heating up.
BJP workers put up a series of posters from the airport to Central Delhi to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he returned from a recent foreign trip. Congress and Aam Aadmi Party leaders can also be seen peering from roundabouts and shop fronts. One poster by BJP leaders ironically carries the cleanliness pledge, which is a part of the Swachh Bharat campaign.
South Delhi Municipal Corporation Commissioner Manish Gupta said teams had been formed at the zonal level to crackdown on illegal materials defacing property.
“Not only will we remove the offending materials, we will register FIRs against them. The person who has issued the advertisement will be booked,” said Mr. Gupta, who is also the Commissioner of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation.
North Delhi Municipal Corporation issued instructions to Deputy Commissioners on Monday to give out notices to those found putting up illegal advertisements, said Commissioner Pravin Kumar Gupta. He added that FIRs would be registered against those putting up illegal advertisements and posters.
