The Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders including elected representatives have flouted the norms laid down by the Government on the erection of posters. All this has happened in the town despite Minister for Municipal Administration and IT K. Taraka Rama Rao announcing blanket ban on putting up vinyl posters and banners anywhere in the State.
The Municipal Administration Minister had announced during a meeting of the mayors, municipal chairpersons and commissioners held here on August 1 that complete ban on use of vinyl posters had been imposed. He also informed the party rank and file not to erect cut-outs or posters of his own or Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in any part of the State during their visits.
Ironically, the TRS Karimnagar leaders competed in erecting the vinyl posters to welcome Minister for Irrigation T. Harish Rao to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of Karimnagar Agricultural Market Committee (AMC) on Monday.
Town awash with postersEntire town had different sizes of posters and banners greeting the new office-bearers of the AMC and welcoming the Minister causing inconvenience to people.
In order to ban posters, the Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar (MCK) authorities had created awareness programmes and conducted meetings with all political parties and others to ban the use of vinyl posters to protect the beauty of the town and stop pollution. They had also launched a WhatsApp number called ‘MCK Grievances’ to receive complaints on erection of posters and requests for removing them instantly.
On Monday the MCK authorities had a herculean task of removing several of these posters. Interestingly, the TRS leaders instructed the MCK authorities to remove the posters only after the Minister’s programme was over in the town.
Ruling party members flout normsLok Satta district president N. Srinivas said that the elected representatives including legislators, MPs and Ministers should follow the Government Order in true spirit and instruct their supporters not to erect the posters. “What is the meaning of enacting the laws and ruling party members flouting them”, he questioned.
Expressing concern over erection of posters in spite of giving clear instructions and conduct of awareness programmes, an MCK officials said “We had deployed special staff for the removal of posters everyday in entire town and taking measures to ensure that the Karimnagar town emerges as role model in completely banning the vinyl posters. But still the posters were coming up with the support of ruling party leaders only”.
