BENGALURU: “It’s a civilised society, but what are you doing? You keep seeing illegal flexes but don’t supervise...,” said the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday while pulling up the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for not taking action against illegal flexes/hoardings which spoil the aesthetic beauty of the city.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice H G Ramesh and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar posed several questions to the BBMP during the hearing of a public interest petition filed by one Mayige Gowda against the state government and BBMP for not implementing the Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1981, by framing relevant rules and regulations.
The court also asked BBMP to tell whether it has taken any action under the Act till date, while adjourning the hearing to February 17.Earlier, the court orally observed that there were hundreds of illegal hoardings/flexes erected to convey birthday wishes on either side of the road connecting the international airport in particular. Despite this, BBMP is not enforcing the Act. “You take a vehicle and go till Mekhri Circle. You will see hundreds of such flexes,” the court observed.
BBMP’s counsel Srinidhi submitted that the civic body has banned plastic and removed 600-700 hoardings. The state government is bringing an Advertisement Policy to regulate advertisements, he pleaded.
Earlier, advocate G R Mohan, representing the petitioner, asked the court to issue directions to BBMP, Urban Development Department and the City Police Commissioner to implement the Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement)Act,1981 within BBMP limits and remove unauthorised hoardings.