BBMP finds alternative to deal with ban on illegal hoardings

Bengaluru : As the High Court had ordered for the removal of illegal hoardings and those made of plastic/flex, a few months ago. Finally, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) seems to have found an alternative to deal with it.

The latest in the flex banner issue is the advertisement banners which are seen on the skywalk right in front of the head office civic body in NR Square carry ‘certificates’ which say that the banners are eco-friendly and do not contain any plastic. The ‘certificate’ also says that the new hoardings are ‘printed on fabric.’

On Tuesday the High Court was to hear a batch of petitions regarding illegal banners. In its previous hearing on January 9, 2019, the court had recorded that the submission of BBMP that it “has collected certain samples and forwarded the same to the Karnataka State kme Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for getting the same examined, but examination of all such samples for all the referred tests is not likely to be cost effective.”

The complete ban on the illegal banners has made an impact on the advertisers. The Kannada film industry is now left without its most visual play field, which is the walls of the city.

Though the film posters are being printed on paper, they are no longer allowed. The Film distributor, A Manjunath had said that, “The government policy is very confusing now. If everything is banned, how come there are still plastic banners outside BBMP limits. It should be uniform all over the state. Otherwise there is no meaning. If non-plastic, non-flex material is available it should be allowed. We are hoping for clarity from the government.”