While MCC Officials were Sleeping, RK Mission Volunteers Did the Job?

While MCC Officials were Sleeping, RK Mission Volunteers Did the Job?

While Mangaluru City Corporation {MCC} Officials were Still Sleeping on Sunday morning, Rama Krishna Mission Volunteers as part of Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan/Campaign removed illegal Banners that were ruining the beauty of the “Smart City”-Mangaluru

Mangaluru: If you are wondering what happened to all those banners/buntings that were hanging on the city electric/telephone poles, don’t get surprised- this Sunday early morning the volunteers of Ramakrishna Mission as part of “Swachh Mangaluru” Abhiyan/Campaign carried out a drive to remove all the illegal hoardings, cut-outs and banners in the heart of the City. But unfortunately, being a lazy Sunday, when our lovely MCC Officials who were least bothered to wake up to tackle the menace of illegal banners and buntings that mushroom at important junctions, the dedicated and committed volunteers of ‘Swachh Mangaluru” campaign did the right thing by bringing down all the illegal banners/small hoardings/buntings etc- What Goes Up Illegally, Must Come Down Legally?-that’s right!

As per the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, it is mandatory for advertisers, organizations or individuals to take prior permission from the municipal corporation to exhibit banners and other publicity materials. This drive by these volunteers in the absence of MCC officials is a warning for those who are in the habit of displaying publicity material at junctions without taking permission from the corporation. Even the legally put up cut-outs and banners created problems as they were rarely removed after the event was over.

Most of the illegal banners carry advertisements of private enterprises, including those of School Admissions, fast foods, coaching institutes, mobile phone companies, Astrologers, motor vehicles and jewellers. Among the many banners that were pulled down by the MCC laborers, there were quite a few “congratulation” banners that were hung extending wishes to local candidate in the recent concluded assembly elections. There have been sudden rise in the illegal banners and flex hoardings. They are ruining the beauty of the city and are also posing problem to vehicular traffic too. Therefore, the volunteers of Swacch Mangaluru divided themselves into two teams and removed all such thousands of illegal banners from areas near-Kankanady, Jyothi, Bejai, St Agnes, Bendoorwell, Kankanady Pumpwell, Nanthur, Balmatta and other areas.

Yes, this is the time of the year that lots of banners come up pertaining to school/college admissions. But the sad part is that when these schools and colleges organize programmes to bring awareness among their students and citizens on clean and green city, on the other hand they abuse the Swachh Mangaluru campaign by hanging their school/college admission advertisement banners illegally without taking any permission from MCC, which is a total disgrace to the Clean City project. When all these schools and colleges take in huge sum of money as admission fees {also capitation fees in some cases}, why can’t they advertisement in a proper and legal way-either through print and electronic media. Guess everyone wants free publicity- as they say “Everyone wants something for nothing?”

In spite of the repeated warning from the authorities not to display banners/hoardings illegally, but still many do so. Many a times, organizations and agencies are involved in sticking the handouts on either side of the road and on electric poles, thus disfiguring the roadside and electric pole. MCC needs to first sensitize people, but also subsequently take action against those violating the rule. It might be recalled that there were cases of accidents because of banners and publicity material on main roads that sometimes disrupted the view of motorists. The illegal hoardings, banners pitched indiscriminately along the road are causing nuisance. They cause inconvenience to the general public. Many of these hoardings and banners are put up in gross violation of civic sense and also the civic law.

Many a time, those who put up the banners, board, do not remove the banners after the function or programme gets over. Clearing such banners are a great headache for the Corporation. If MCC authorities fail to stop putting up of banners and hoardings without a proper license, then all their efforts for the beautification of the City will go futile. It is also learnt that some people take permission for certain numbers of banners/hoardings, but they display more banners/hoardings that they paid for. Not just today, MCC should have such drives constantly so that the city is free from illegal and way too many banners that ruin the beauty of the City.

Even though the City looks free of huge flex hoardings due the election model code of conduct, but you never know, we could see more banners coming up soon since the elections are done and EC won’t even bother? It happens once every month or once every few months, when the officials of the Mangaluru City Corporation decide to go on a rampage to bring down all the illegal hoardings/banners etc that are hanged/erected in various prominent spots in the city, not to mention the busy Hampankatta Circle. Why is MCC taking all this trouble every month to remove these hoardings/banners which costs money and workers time on the expenses of tax payers? It’s also an extra work for the volunteers of Swachh Mangaluru campaign to do the job. Why can’t MCC strictly enforce the rule and fine heavily those who had erected the hoardings/banners? If strict action is not taken, these hoardings/banners will appear again and again- and MCC has to bring them down again and again- which is foolishness and waste of time and money.