In spite of stipulated guidelines issued by the State government, law enforcement officials openly flout norms on the Collectorate premises in Karimnagar town and erect vinyl posters on public properties.
The district authorities, a few years ago, had given clear instructions to all leaders and Ministers of the Union and State governments to not erect vinyl posters or hoardings on public properties. The Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar (MCK) had also, as part of their drive against plastic in the town, warned people of penal action if found setting up pollution-causing vinyl posters.
However, employees of various departments are vying for space on government offices to erect such posters ahead of Christmas and New Year.
Two huge vinyl posters have been erected at the two main gates of the Collectorate hiding the signboards informing people about the various welfare schemes of the government.
With New Year just around the corner, several other organisations of government departments will completely fill up whatever space available on the Collectorate office with vinyl posters. Besides, some other organisations deface the office premises with stickers of their unions.
A voluntary organisation, in the name of traffic awareness in the town, has also been erecting these vinyl posters and causing traffic snarls and pollution instead.
Though the MCK officials were informed about the ‘menace’ by the NGO, the authorities failed to remove the posters, mostly of police officials of the district and the State.
Expressing concern over the rampant erection of these posters on public properties, Confederation of All Telangana Consumer Organisation (CATCO) president N. Srinivas has asked employees to erect signboards in their offices stating that they won’t be taking bribe from 2020 and discharge their duties with integrity and transparency.
“Who has given them rights to deface public properties? After all, they are public servants and should follow the rules strictly and emerge as role models for others,” he said. He also found fault with Collector K. Shashanka for remaining silent in this matter, though he fought against it during his stint as the MCK Commissioner.
