Bengaluru: This once-pristine metropolis has been turned unattractive in recent times by the various ugly posters, banners, flexes, stickers and bills stuck on the walls all over the place. Motorists and pedestrians have got tired of looking at these eyesores everywhere.
In a heartening development recently, a group of citizens from HSR Layout embarked on a mission to remove these ‘eyesores’ and clean up the city. Their citizen’s initiative has been imaginatively named “Kill bills’.
Begun by Hasiru Mithra almost a month ago in HSR Layout, the movement has gained momentum across other parts of the city as well. Kavitha Reddy, a member of the group, said, "We were disturbed and upset to see the unaesthetic, ugly posters in every nook and corner of the city. They were a definite eyesore and spoiling the city's beauty.”
She continued, “In the span of one month we have conducted four drives. After identifying offending areas, we have removed a number of bills and posters during weekends. In fact people from areas like Jayanagar and Infantry Road got in touch with us and now they themselves are conducting such drives in their locality on their own."
When it comes to disfigurement of public property, there’s a stringent law in place. This law strongly forbids defacing of public property. It’s called the “Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfiguration) Act, 1981. Despite this law, nothing much has been done by the authorites.
The High court too has time and again asked the BBMP and the police to fine film producers for pasting film posters on public walls and defacing the city, and yet in spite of this the film posters still keep cropping up, to the disgust of onlookers.
Although the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had launched many drives to remove unauthorised hoardings, flexes,posters, banners and buntings, they failed to bring these under control. BBMP says they have launched many night drives as well and have taken action against those who have put up the hoardings by filing criminal cases against them. Fed-up citizens are hoping they make some headway so that their city looks beautiful again!
