Illegal hoardings: Mayor to chair meeting on Aug 10

A special meeting will be held on August 10 by Mayor G Padmavathi and BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad to take a final decision regarding the illegal flexes and hoardings in the city.

Speaking at the BBMP monthly council meeting on Monday, Umesh Shetty, corporator, Govindaraja Nagar, said there are about 10,000 illegal flexes and hoardings defacing public places. Since BBMP is not allowed to give approval to the display of hoardings, he questioned as to who does it.

“No ward is free from the menace. Hundreds of illegal hoardings have come up near footpaths, high tension wires and playgrounds. Even stormwater drains and burial grounds are not spared,” said Shetty. He said huge flexes near high-tension wires was dangerous as they may cause electrical mishaps. He said a centralised permission system may be set up at the head office, instead of leaving it to zonal officials.

Prasad said though an order have been issued to remove the illegal flexes and hoardings, it has not been implemented properly.

“We have ordered a complete ban on flex boards and shops involved in the business. There are 60-70 shops in the business, 5,400 illegal flexes have been identified and a fine of Rs 30 crore has been collected,” said Prasad. However, BBMP had earlier decided to collect a penalty of Rs 150 crore.