Bengaluru: Majority of corporators on Monday opposed the Urban Development Department's (UDD) move to bring back advertisement hoardings to the city, though the BBMP Council unanimously banned all types of hoardings last year.
A special Council meet was convened on Monday to discuss the Urban Development Department's 'BBMP Advertisement Rules 2019' notification, which circumvents the 'BBMP Outdoor Signage and Public Messaging Policy and Bylaw 2018' that had banned hoardings in the city. The final draft published by the UDD on July 15 has provisions to ban hoardings only on a few roads, which means that such advertisements can come up on all other roads.
Corporators from all parties protested that the state government's UDD has failed to consult the BBMP while preparing the draft. BJP corporators alleged that hidden hands were working to get the hoardings back in the city.
Ruling party leader Abdul Wajid said that the advertising mafia was ruining the aesthetics of the city by putting up hoardings. "The city was riddled with illegal advertisement banners and hoardings. After the Council banned the hoardings, the Urban Development Department has issued the notification without consulting the BBMP and inviting objections" he said.
The civic body had sent the by-law to the government's approval at the end of last year, but the state government had not given consent.
Mr Wajid said that as per Section 425 of the Karnataka Municipal Council's Act, which governs the civic body, the by-laws sent to the government's approval will be deemed to be approved if the state doesn't respond within three months.
Other corporators demanded that Mayor Gangambike and BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad get a clear picture on Section 425 from advocates and make the Council aware of its powers. The BBMP Council is expected to pass a resolution and send its objections to the UDD before July 31.
Lighter moments at Council
As Rajarajeshwari Nagar MLA Munirathna has shifted sides, Congress corporators, Mr Venkatesh and Mr Velunaicker, were asked to sit on the BJP's side at the Council. Corporators from K.R. Puram, Yeshwanthpur and Mahalakshmi Layout too were asked to move to the BJP's side of the Council, but the Congress corporators chose to sit in their designated places.
