HYDERABAD: Despite Hyderabad High Court expressing its displeasure over the illegal display of hoardings, posters, flexies and banners in different parts of the city, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has done little to remove the unauthorised hoardings, particularly those belonging to ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
Every alternate day, little known local ‘galli’ politicians, mostly belonging to ruling TRS party put up banners and flexis and paste posters on private and public properties with the sole intention of pleasing senior party leaders including Chief Minister, ministers and MLAs.
The GHMC officials are afraid to remove these hoardings and flexis fearing backlash from the TRS ministers and MLAs. Even metro pillars are not spared.
The culture of putting up flexis, banners and posters has increased manifold in the last 20 months. Any occasion, be it a festival, birthday of a minister or an MLA, the city is flooded with flexis and banners. The practice is making the city look uglier.
The HC had expressed its unhappiness over the growing menace on Monday. The court questioned the inaction of the authorities pointing out that the trend of putting up flexis and posters on road margins and medians displaying birthday wishes to politicians and celebrities have become routine.
The High Court was dealing with a PIL, seeking to declare the action of GHMC authorities in not taking proper care and caution while granting permission to put up hoardings and flex boards.
While making it clear that it would not allow rampant unauthorised display of flexis and hoardings, the Bench ordered the GHMC to spell out its stand on regulating hoardings within two weeks. The Bench felt that if GHMC officials control the illegal hoardings, the city would look beautiful.
After receiving directions from the HC, GHMC Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy issued instructions to officials to remove unauthorised posters, flexis and banners across the city.
He instructed the officials to prepare an action plan to remove the unauthorised hoardings and posters in the city on a priority basis.
On previous occasions too, HC had chastised the authorities for not controlling political and celebrity banners. The court had directed the government to take immediate steps to remove the hoardings and banners of politicians and celebrities.
GHMC officials said the corporation was not according permission to put up banners, either in private or public places, as the government has banned the display of banners on the roads of the twin cities, municipal corporations and municipalities in the state.