Eid Mubarak, Happy Birthday, Happy Independence Day, Iftar get-together. Any occasion is fit for such “heartfelt wishes and greetings” to pop up on innumerable hoardings, posters and banners with portraits of personalities — usually politicos — plastered on them.
Earlier this week, the High Court called Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s bluff and hauled it over the coals for its tepid drive to remove illegal hoardings and posters. The court asked BBMP to take proper action against the violators instead of merely issuing them notices.
They’re everywhere
The city’s walls and poles continue to be festooned with such lurid, self-promotional posters. Namma Metro’s pillars have not been spared.
Jamsheed, a shopkeeper at Russel Market, where there is no dearth of such eyesores, observed: “Political leaders and rich businessmen here want to be popular among the people. Fifteen years ago only filmstars were on posters. Now everybody is famous.”
Posters of well-known leaders like , MLAs Zameer Ahmed Khan and and Roshan Baig, besides lesser politicos, are everywhere in and around Shivajinagar.
A supporter proudly claims to have put up 500 posters in the city this year.
“We do so only after taking BBMP’s permission. They charge us, but recently they removed a few posters,” he said, perplexed.
‘Waste of money’
Abdus Salam, a perfume seller in Fraser Town, said: “Many people complain about these posters. All these are unnecessary and a waste of money as no one takes them seriously. In the end, the city ends up looking untidy.”
But the printers of these posters — and there are several — are undeterred by the lack of appreciation. One of the more popular ones said: “We usually get orders from the politicians and rich businessmen. This Eid, we posted around 80 to 100 posters in the city.”
A BBMP official claimed the poster removal drive was on in full swing. “We have been removing around 20 to 25 posters every day. We have already covered areas like Padmanabhanagar and Hebbal.”
