Failure to pay fine for defacing public property may get your assets sealed

The MCG is empowered to serve notices to violators under the Haryana Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1989, which has a maximum punishment of six months imprisonment and Rs10,000 fine.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has cautioned violators who deface public property with stickers, banners, hoardings, posters and fail to pay fines that their establishments will be sealed and subsequently auctioned off for recovering the amount, officials said on Saturday.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has cautioned violators who deface public property with stickers, banners, hoardings, posters and fail to pay fines that their establishments will be sealed and subsequently auctioned off for recovering the amount, officials said on Saturday.

The MCG is empowered to serve notices to violators under the Haryana Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1989, which has a maximum punishment of six months imprisonment and Rs10,000 fine.

“In case the offender is not paying the fine amount, Gurugram police will be approached for assistance. If they still fail to clear dues, then the property of the violators will be sealed and subsequently auctioned for recovery of the outstanding fine amount,” SS Rohilla, public relations officer (PRO) of the MCG, said.

Rohilla further said that photos of illegal stickers, banners, hoardings will be clicked by MCG officials, and thereafter they will reach the premises or offices of the offender. Aside from imposing a fine on the violator, they will also ask for information about the printing press from where the illegal stickers, banners, and hoardings were printed so that a letter can be sent to the deputy commissioner seeking the cancellation of the licenses of such printing presses.

MCG officials said that to keep a check on defacement, four teams have been constituted for each MCG zone, and Rajeev Yadav, assistant engineer, advertisement, has been appointed as the nodal officer for the purpose.

The development comes just days after the MCG floated tenders for acquiring a private agency that will be responsible for taking down political hoardings, banners and posters across the city. The MCG is yet to finalise a contractor for this.