Posters galore in Hassan

Posters and flexes displaying birthday wishes to Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Revanna have been fixed along all the main streets here, including the Bengaluru-Mangaluru highway and the Hassan-Mysuru road. The Hassan City Municipal Council, which is empowered to initiate action against such illegal posters and flexes that deface open places under the Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfiguration) Act, 1981, has turned a blind eye to the menace.

Mr. Revanna, who is considered to be the high-command of Janata Dal (Secular) in Hassan, turned 58 on December 17. However, he celebrated his birthday with his family members and party legislators at Belagavi, where he is attending the Legislature Assembly session. His followers and supporters have put up posters, banners and flexes containing birthday wishes to him in all prominent places like circles and electric poles here. A majority of these posters have been put up by vice-president of the Hassan City Municipal Council Irshad Pasha, who is also a member of the Janata Dal (S).

The Hassan CMC has neither initiated action against those who have put up the posters nor taken measures to remove them. When

The Hindu contacted, V.H. Krishnamurthy, municipal commissioner, said all the posters that had been put up in the city were illegal as none had obtained permission from the municipal council. When asked if any action had been planned against persons responsible for displaying such posters and flexes, he said “You know what all I had to face when I ordered for removal of a structure put up by Hassan Milk Union in violation of laws a year ago in Hassan. I am facing the wrath of many people even today.”

Mr. Revanna, chairman of the Hassan Milk Union, had come down heavily on the commissioner for ordering the removal of a milk parlour that had been built on the CMC property in violation of norms. He and other leaders of the party had demanded that Mr. Krishnamurthy be transferred from Hassan.