BHUBANESWAR: The beautiful city of Bhubaneswar has been reduced to an ugly sprawl of hoardings, posters and banners, etc., with brazen takeover of public spaces by leaders, workers and even paltry and insignificant elements of different political parties ahead of the New Year.
The capital city is witnessing an unprecedented billboard free-for-all and a total collapse of enforcement. From major roads and intersections to flyovers and public squares, the city is choked with New Year greetings from politicians, particularly local leaders and councillor aspirants of the ruling BJP, the Opposition BJD and Congress, raising serious questions about accountability and selective blindness of the state government and the civic administration.
Two years back, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation had launched a special enforcement drive ‘Tree, Pole and Wall’ (TPW) to crack down on unauthorised installation of hoardings and pasting of banners and posters by individuals or agencies. “However, the effort to maintain the beauty and cleanliness of the city has been consigned to the dustbin under the new government. So much for the Swachh Bharat mantra given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” rued a concerned citizen.
At Rasulgarh, around two to three large posters had been installed under the flyover a few days back. However, with the BMC enforcement continuing to turn a blind eye, the number has now increased to more than a dozen. Similarly in Jharpada area, the roundabout that was beautified at a cost of several lakhs of rupees has been completely covered with posters of leaders from both BJP and BJD, obscuring the Ashoka pillar in the middle.
In some cases, posters were seen hung directly from the top of the Jharpada flyover without any concern for commuters’ safety. Such installations pose risk to motorists and pedestrians, especially during high winds. The encircling of squares and junctions by hoardings also create a blind spot for vehicular movement, thereby endangering public safety.
Residents alleged the civic body was hand-in-glove with political parties, allowing unauthorised erection of hoardings and posters at prominent locations. “If ordinary citizens, groups or organisations come up with such posters temporarily, they are imposed hefty penalty. However, such rules seemingly do not apply to politicians under this regime, it appears,” alleged Ranjan Sahu, a resident of Kalpana area. Taking advantage of the situation, even some government departments have begun installing posters without authorisation, he said.
A BMC official, however, admitted that enforcement in such cases is difficult, especially when political leaders from the ruling and opposition parties are involved.
BMC commissioner Chanchal Rana couldn’t be reached for his comments. Deputy commissioner for revenue Ajaya Kumar Mohanty said the enforcement teams have been mobilised to remove the unauthorised hoardings and banners. “Appropriate action will be initiated by BMC in the matter,” he said.