Illegal FLEX Hoardings Abuse City’s Beauty! National Environment Care Federation (NECF), an NGO working for the conservation of the environment and seeking immediate curbs on this practice under the leadership of National Activist, Environmentalist and General Secretary of (NECF) H. Shashidhar Shetty Remove Flex Banners, nailed/tied to trees in certain parts of the City. Even Politicians are abusing the Flex Ban. Let Rules Be EQUAL Irrespective Of Religion/Politics
Mangaluru: No matter which party is at the helm of Mangaluru City Corporation- they are all on the same band wagon. We have two different kinds of people who don’t use their common sense- 1) Those people without common sense putting up illegal hoardings, 2) those people in MCC with no common sense who allow these hoardings to be displayed or not take them down? Even though the existence of Flex hoardings/banners is banned by the Supreme Court, apart from them there has been constant display of such flex hoardings/banners still going on in the City, which is illegal, and no one from the district administration nor MCC is giving a damn about it.
How many times has our MLC Vedvyas Kamath, MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, MLA U T Khader, Former MLC Ivan D’souza, Mayor Premanand Shetty, MCC Commissioner Akshy Sridhar, and other politicians have been invited by social organizations, schools/Colleges, other education and religious institutions either to inaugurate a Environmental programme or to speak on ban of flex or plastic, and what these officials say and advice the audience/students/children on awareness of the flex/plastic issues, however, once they get out of the programme they themselves break the laws, by erecting flex hoardings/banners with their photos on them. Bah Humbug!
Just look at some of the prominent spots in the city, like Kankanady Pumpwell/Flyover area; Jyothi area; Lady Hill; Mallikatta; nanthoor; Hampankatta; Pandeshwar; among others- it seems like an “Advertisement/Publicity Corner” for FREE- with a bunch of flex hoardings pertaining to Religious celebrations, political greetings, Conference, School/College admissions etc- the whole beauty of the City has been abused by illegal hoardings, either they are flex or no flex.
Even though the Mayor and MCC Commissioner have promised to take action against those who put up these hoardings, it seems like nothing is working right? Once again, our Netas and MCC officials are following the motto “We Don’t Practice What We Preach”- I guess. Just look at all the hoardings/banners that are “beautifying” the City- and the pictures were taken only at certain locations in town- there could be more. Seems like no one is adhering to these rules, even the elected representatives of Mangaluru City Corporation have been defying the law.
It looks like MCC officials, members of temple management committees, Yakshagana programmes, religious events in the central business district area, plus private businesses-Companies, Summer Camp ads, admission to schools, mobile companies, tulu movies etc are mocking the “smartness” of the city. This is not “Smart” for an upcoming “Smart City ”-Mangaluru! Seems like there is a hoarding/billboard/banner epidemic in Mangaluru!
At every nook and corner of the city, you will see illegal hoardings or banners advertising about school admissions, opening of a showroom or shifting of a supermarket, Music showS; party announcements, conventions or public gathering announcements etc etc- and the funny part is that none of these have permission from the Mangaluru City Corporation to put them up. Then why is MCC not doing anything about this illegal practice, which is losing revenue due to these free advertising.
And when MCC officials decide to go on a rampage to take down down the illegal advt materials, they leave alone the hoardings/banners of religious institutions/politicians. But why? Rules should be equal to everyone, irrespective of religion or politicians. Why are our officials showing partiality in this regard?
And that’s the reason we often see huge cutouts/hoardings/banners- and that too of flex material adoring the City. Not just once in a while, MCC should keep the drive continuous against banned flexes or other material. So what’s the use of these rules/laws if no one follows them, and at the same time, no action is taken by the concerned authorities when people defy these rules. Court orders, MCC advertising laws, strict directives and an exhaustive list of Dos and Don’ts notwithstanding, the menace of rickety and illegal hoardings continues to haunt Mangaloreans.
Adding to the concern is a load of unlawful advertising boards, hoardings, flexes and uni-poles that continue to exist, despite MCC’s rules and regulations on outdoor advertising. Probably MCC has no count of illegal hoardings in the city and is doing nothing to stop it. Apart from display of flex and non-flex hoardings, MCC has not taken any action against businesses still using plastic bags for packing groceries or other items. As per court ruling, these hoardings are “hazardous to traffic”. But the problem with MCC is that they will get into action for one day and remove all the illegal hoardings, and thereafter for a month or two months they keep quiet.
Why can’t MCC keep it that way, by not allowing anyone to display hoardings/banners, by implementing certain laws restricting the display of such hoardings/banners, or by taking severe action against the lawbreakers. The city looks so clean and beautiful without all these illegal publicity materials, so why can’t we keep our city that way all year long. Presently it seems like a drama- with citizens putting up all these illegal hoardings- and in a few days MCC getting into action and removing them- and once again the cycle is repeated. Instead of that, why can’t we put an end to this kind of drama right now. And MCC can do it because there is a law which prohibits exhibits of hoardings/banners in public places.
Like I mentioned in my earlier reports, I will say it again, that MCC needs to ban these illegal hoardings-areas are to be designated as “no-hoardings zones”. Strict action should be taken against those breaking the laws. All hoardings that compromise road safety are to be removed. MCC should launch a drive to remove all illegal billboards immediately, and also warn about fines if hoardings are erected illegally. MCC should remove hoardings from city junctions as they are hazardous to traffic. In any case hoardings/flex banners, whether legal or illegal, should not be allowed to deface natural beauty, the city’s skyline, or cause safety hazards. No-hoarding zones are the need of the hour!
As per section of the Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act 1981 states- ” Whoever by himself or through another person, affixes to, or erects, inscribes or exhibits on any place open to public view advertisement without the written permission of the local authority having jurisdiction over such area, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees or both”.
But how far has this law been strictly enforced by MCC- never. And it won’t be implemented when MLC’s, MLA’s, and other politicians themselves break the law. But at least now, MCC can start putting this law into force, and deal with all these people putting up such illegal publicity materials, including RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS, POLITICIANS, EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, FILMS/ENTERTAINMENT ORGANIZATIONS ETC ?
VOLUNTEERS of NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT CARE FOUNDATION FEDERATION (NECF) REMOVE FLEX BANNERS NAILED/TIED TO TREES in CITY.
Volunteers of NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT CARE FOUNDATION FEDERATION (NECF) REMOVE FLEX BANNERS NAILED/TIED TO TREES in CITY.an NGO working for the conservation of the environment and seeking immediate curbs on this practice under the leadership of National Activist, Environmentalist and General Secretary of (NECF) N SHASHIDHAR SHETTY Remove FLEX Banners, nailed/tied to trees in certain parts of the City.
Posters and flexes nailed on tree trunks dot few parts of the City in the absence of any check by the authorities concerned. The practice is gradually killing these trees, say environmentalists. H. Shashidhar Shetty from City, the General Secretary of National Environment Care Federation (NECF), an NGO working for the conservation of the environment and seeking immediate curbs on this practice speaking to Team Mangalorean said “Green cover is already facing various environmental challenges. On top of this, the practice of nailing posters on tree trunks for advertising is gradually killing trees,”
Shetty has raised his voice in regards to a plastic banner nailed to a tree with a call to preserve the environment. Despite the government prohibiting using nails on trees, such activities go on, he regretted and demanded that the organisation be made to remove the banner along with the nails. NECF, an environmental outfit, is effectively preventing people from putting ugly advertisements on the trees. The belief that you only need the will to do something gets reinforced by this unique initiative of Save Green. The outfit, active in the field of environment, removes posters and advertisements from trees in the city when they see them.
Not only do these posters look ugly they also make trees unhealthy. The holes which are left behind after removing the hoarding, allows insects and termites to enter. It makes the tree hollow and weak. On Sunday,volunteers of NECF removed hundreds of posters, and the team maintains a meticulous record of the organisations and companies whose posters are put up.
“I feel it needs to be made public so they think twice before doing it again. Also, we need to check if it is a repeat offender for they need to be dealt with stringently. Sometimes we remove the posters ourselves or inform the offenders to come and take it off. I feel the whole thing will register in their mind more strongly. Also, in certain situations, the team feels a little vulnerable.” says Shetty.
Most of these ads belong to work-from-home followed by PG accommodations, broadband services, catering services, etc. Sources reveal that when nails are inserted in a tree trunk, channels taking water to branches are damaged, which affects its growth. Not just on City streets, trails of such posters are also a common sight on highways. This is illegal both from the standpoint of advertising, causing loss of revenue to the government, and damage caused to trees. If nails are inserted deep in tree trunks, these could cause harm to trees.
Food and water vessels will be damaged, which affects the growth of the trees. Moreover, nailing can cause harm to trees in other ways, as the damaged part can get rotten and the surrounding tissues may become dead. The government and the concerned officials from the forest department and MCC need to seriously look into the matter and put an end to this practice, which is harming the environment.