BENGALURU: BBMP commissioner Manjunath Prasad has asked for more powers and more staff for the Bengaluru Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) to enable the civic body to remove unauthorized hoardings, footpath encroachment and to seize banned plastic materials.
In a joint meet held on Tuesday, BBMP commissioner Mr. Prasad said that in the absence of adequate policing power and support, it is an uphill task for the BBMP to remove encroachments on footpaths, unauthorized hoardings and to seize banned plastic materials.
Mr. Megharik said that the issue of empowering the BMTF is before the Home Department and likely to be dealt with at the earliest. Police support will be provided to the BBMP staff to enable them to remove the illegal hoardings. In the event of any obstruction of the removal drive or assault on the officials, criminal cases will be booked against the accused.
Besides, there is provision for the officials to book cases under The Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of disfigurement) Act, 1981. The accused can be imprisoned for at least six months along with penalty. However, no cases have been booked under the Act so far, he added.
Those displaying illegal hoardings and advertisement materials will be dealt with, with an iron hand. All the departments must support BMTF to remove such unauthorized hoardings. Keeping tabs on agencies and printing units which print advertisement materials like flexes and banners will help reduce the menace, added Mr. Megharik.
