The district administration’s efforts to clear commercial hub of Sakchi and Bistupur of illegal hording have turned out to be a damp squib.
After a brief lull, banners and hoardings have come up again on important roads of Sakchi market and Bistupur, posing threat for the people and riders. Almost all the important roads passing through Sakchi market namely Straight Mile Road, Sakchi-Kalimati Road and Sakchi Main Road are cramped with big size hoardings and banners on top of the roads. Situation is similar in Bistupur as well.
Though East Singhbhum district administration under the leadership of Dhalbhum SDO Alok Kumar had undertaken a week-long anti-encroachment and beautification drive at Sakchi in the first week of October. They removed banners, hoardings and pulled down illegal constructions undertaken by shopkeepers outside their permitted area.
“Besides posing danger to the public, these hoardings are hung without the permission or knowledge of civic body. The city had many huge hoardings of every sort of a range of organisations, from residential associations to NGOs. Three years down the line, the number of flexes had only increased. The drive will continue until we get all the hoardings removed again,” said an official.
Even the local people are upset over administration spending so much energy and money while carrying out such drives and the effects not lasts even for a month’s time. Incidentally, as per the Defacement Act of 1985 offenders are liable for steep fines going up to `50,000 or imprisonment for six months.
SDO Dhalbhum Alok Kumar said that due to ignorance on the part of the police officials and the other circle officers it resulted shopkeepers indulging in encroachment and defacement time and again.
The administration is again gearing up to start major exercise against putting up of illegal hoardings and cutouts at public places by political leaders, social organisations and other private bodies.
“J-NAC has around 25 hoarding slots in the city however we do not have idea about the number of legal hoardings of Tata Steel and police department in the city. After getting the list from them we would be in a position to distinguish between illegal hoardings and legal ones which would make our task easier in removing the illegal ones and levying fines against the offenders,” mentioned an officer.