The publicity materials have caused huge problems to the smooth flow of traffic at several busy squares of the State Capital, thanks to the careless attitude of Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), and district administration.
Both the district administration and BMC are authorities responsible for giving permission for erecting publicity material at the squares and the road dividers. The removing of the encroachments is also responsibility of the BMC.
However, banner and hoardings at squares and over road dividers are inviting many unwanted accidents. Moreover, these hoardings have not been removed even after the event is over and until the space is used for new hoarding.
Most of the hoardings are of events of big-wigs having influence which deters the responsible agencies from removing these hoardings which could lead to accidents of serious nature.
To gain maximum attraction, these hoardings are placed at squares and places which are among the busiest of the city and block the view area for the commuters and lead to accident. Sometime these hoardings are removed intentionally by rivals but that too makes it risky as they remove the hoarding in haste in fear of getting caught and due to which the hoarding remains oscillating at the poles or hooks with which they are attached.
Sajid Ali fire-in-charge who led the squad, formed to remove the hoardings, banners and cut-outs across the city, said that his squad has been working round the clock but it is not possible to maintain vigil in the whole city, as the squad comprises only 8-10 members.
He said under the Madhya Pradesh Property Defacement Act 1994, these publicity materials which are installed illegally are removed by the squad. In most of the cases these publicity materials are installed in the wee hours to escape of being caught.
DSP (Traffic) Basant Koul said the traffic police are not empowered to clear such obstructions and they are dependent on other agencies for removal. Traffic police would act only after they would receive complaint regarding the banner or hoarding or cut-out after which they would forward complaint to the agency concerned for necessary action.