Students remove a poll banner in Chandni Chowk on Saturday morning. (Pabitra Das)

A group of schoolstudents and activists tore down poll banners and posters in a central Calcutta neighbourhood on Saturday morning, coinciding with the start of counting of votes.

“Once the banners are put up, they remain forever. Sometimes the wooden structure holding the banner rots and falls on someone’s head. I’m happy the students are pulling them down,” said Mohammad Sabir, who runs a telephone booth in a Chandni Chowk lane.

Under the model code of conduct, the poll clutter should be removed within a week of the completion of the poll process. The process ends with the declaration of the results and the parties have till Saturday (May 23) to remove the banners and hoardings.

Instead of watching one more deadline pass unhonoured, a group of 10 students from St Joseph’s College (Bowbazar) embarked on the clean-up drive helped by Calcutta Walks, a “socially responsible” company that takes tourists around Calcutta’s heritage zones.

Armed with pliers, cutters and ladders, the students marched down the lanes of Chandni Chowk, pulling down banners, skyliners plugged with party flags and posters wired to windows.

The targets were not all political — illegal advertisement billboards, too, were pulled down.

“It’s our duty to keep the city clean,” said Diptarshi Sen, who along with nine of his friends set out at 6am on the clean-up mission.

“By removing the banners and posters we are trying to set an example which we believe the residents will follow during the next elections,” added the 16-year-old, who didn’t mind dirtying his school uniform for a clean cause.

The students climbed poles, risked electric wires and even stood precariously on tin shades to rid the area of the eyesore. Residents crowded around the clean crusaders, ready to lend a helping hand.

“It’s such a relief to see the walls free of political posters,” said Mohammad Azgar, a resident who fetched a cutter from a grocery store to snap one of the strings of a banner.

“We had feared resistance but were overwhelmed by the reaction of the residents. They supplied us ladders and knives whenever required. One resident said ‘Thank you bhai’,” said Iftekhar Ahsan of Calcutta Walks, who has planned to clean up the heritage areas next.

Some are happy that after many days they could again open their windows, which were blocked by the hoardings.

“The partymen come at night and tie the hoardings to our windows unnoticed. In normal circumstances, we have to wait for months for the banners to be taken off and to open the windows,” said 56-year-old Jawaid Akhtar Ali, a resident.

After about 25 hoardings, 40 posters and several commercial billboards were removed, there was just one thing left untouched — a poster of Bandidas starring Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz. “Sorry, there’s only so much a man can do,” grinned a schoolboy.

Chief electoral officer Debashis Sen “lauded” the effort of the St Joseph’s students and Calcutta Walks. “I wish many more would follow suit.”