Illegal banners put up by political parties deface city

With Rahul Gandhi paying the city a visit on Friday, party men and politicians covered flyovers, skywalks, electric poles, trees, with banners and posters, most of them illegal.

With Rahul Gandhi paying the city a visit on Friday, party men and politicians covered flyovers, skywalks, electric poles, trees, with banners and posters, most of them illegal.

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On his way to Tilak Bhavan, the party headquarters in Dadar, Gandhi was greeted by hoardings welcoming him to the city.

Commuters on the Western Express Highway were surprised to see a balloon welcoming the leader. Hundreds of banners were plastered at Bandra flyover, Kalanagar junction, Dadar and Mahim areas.

“The BMC officials in their last meeting said that illegal banners would be removed irrespective of the political party it belonged to. Since Rahul Gandhi is visiting, nobody is taking any action,” said Aftab Siddiqui, a Bandra based activist.

“Everyone knows he [Gandhi] is visiting, we don’t think there is any need to publicise it by defacing the city,” said a biker travelling on the Western Express Highway.

Rajendra Bhosale, deputy municipal commissioner, special, said it was difficult for them to keep track of such activities.

“Party workers put up posters and banners after midnight. We will ensure that these are removed by Saturday afternoon,” he said.