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After councillor’s appeal, Ludhiana MC acts against illegal hoardings
A large number of billboards can still be seen in different parts of Ludhiana, including Ferozepur road, SBS Nagar, Model Town Extension, Barewal road, Chandigarh road and old GT Road
A day after Congress councillor Mamta Ashu, wife of cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, appealed to the residents to stop using pictures of ministers on illegal hoardings and urged the civic body to take action against such hoardings across the city, the municipal corporation (MC) initiated a drive to remove illegal posters/hoarding from city roads on Tuesday.
However, a large number of hoardings can still be seen installed in different parts of the city, including Ferozepur road, SBS Nagar, Model Town Extension, Barewal road, Chandigarh road, old GT road among other areas. Most of these are political or religious hoardings and at many points the directions boards have also been covered with illegal hoardings, giving a tough time to commuters.
On Monday, the Congress councillor took to social media urging supporters and social, religious, industrial and political organisations in Ludhiana west constituency to stop defacing the city by installing illegal hoardings.
In her post on social media, she said, “In a progressive society like ours, our endeavour should be to make our city smarter and aesthetically more beautiful. Dotting the city with illegal hoardings is definitely not acceptable to anyone.”
Further, she urged mayor Balkar Sandhu and MC commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal to take action against such hoardings.
The mayor said action was always taken against illegal hoardings in the city. Directions had again been issued to the MC staff and an extensive drive had been initiated in the city to remove illegal hoardings. “The staff has been directed to remove illegal hoardings even if there is a picture of a minister or mine too. Supporters add pictures of leaders in the hoardings without their consent,” said Sandhu.
MC fails to impose penalties
Even after the municipal corporation (MC) house had approved a resolution to impose a penalty of up to ₹50,000 on printers for installing hoardings last year, the MC has failed to tighten the noose around printers and residents who install hoardings.
In the resolution approved by the MC general house in November last year, the MC had also decided to impose a penalty of ₹5,000 per day on superintendents who fail to remove illegal hoardings. The house also deliberated on lodging an FIR against violators.
One of the MC officials requesting anonymity said there was a large-scale interference in the working of the MC due to which the civic body failed to take action against illegal hoardings. With assembly elections scheduled for next year and festival season around the corner, supporters have installed a large number of hoardings in the city and politicians also support them.
Residents have also been complaining against defacement, but MC officials were helpless, said the official.
