Making graffiti is one of the favourite pastimes for many in the city.

Slogan writers have not even spared the landmarks of the city, including the Golghar and the Patna Museum.

Even private properties in the city are facing the "insatiable" desire of these elements, who love to write at the places of their choice.

The Telegraph spotted two graffiti on the boundary of Patna Museum on Thursday, while it found dozens of graffiti on the Golghar structure. Not to forget graffiti was also found on the walls of Miller High School grounds and also on residential properties.

Saket Tiwary, a lawyer of Patna High Court, said making graffiti on the public, as well as, private buildings is a criminal offence. "According to the Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, whoever defaces any property in public view by writing or marking with ink, chalk, paint or any other material, except for the purpose of indicating the memo and address of the owner or occupier of such property, shall be punished. While if someone has made graffiti on public or residential property could be booked under this act, those who make graffiti on any heritage structure could be booked under Ancient Monuments & Archaeological Sites & Remains Act, 1958. While district magistrate, police and the municipal body can take action against person found violating under Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, in case of graffiti made on any heritage property, only officials of Archaeological Survey of India can take the action," Tiwary said.

On why any action is not being taken against people who have made graffiti on public structures, district magistrate Abhay Kumar Singh had no answer. Singh, however, looked conversant with the rulebook under which people could face action if found making graffiti on public and heritage structures.

When The Telegraph asked Patna Museum director JPN Singh why he did not take cognisance of the graffiti made on the boundary wall of the museum, he said: "The implementing authority is not taking any action. What can we do?" he asked. He said the cops were supposed to take action in the matter.

Deputy municipal commissioner Rajiv Ranjan, too, had different point of views when asked why Patna Municipal Corporation was not taking any action against those found making graffiti on public buildings. "If any graffiti is found on a public building, the department concerned must be aware of the graffiti and they might have no problem. The PMC can't take action in these cases. Only the department concerned to which the property belongs, can take action," said Ranjan.

Residents were not happy with the approach of the government in removing graffiti from buildings. Acharya Kishore Kunal, a retired IPS officer, said: "There are many buildings in Patna on which we can find some graffiti. On many buildings, we can find objectionable things written as part of the graffiti. The administration should take action against people found involved in all these things. The administration also needs to remove graffiti from public buildings as soon as possible because if this is not done, the graffiti would become part of the history of these buildings."

Noted Gandhian Razi Ahmed said: "The graffiti disturbs the face of the buildings. Making graffiti on public and private properties should be dealt with sternly."

Officials of Patna Circle of Archaeological Survey of India said they try their best to save the heritage structures but people find their way out to make graffiti on the heritage buildings.

"We have asked our workers to be vigilant all the time so that people can't draw graffiti on the heritage structures but the some people always wait for the opportunity when our officials are not on the site. When the officials leave the site for some moment, people come and draw graffiti on the ASI properties. On many occasions, when we find people drawing graffiti, we scold them but such people always come back and repeat the act," said Hemsagar A. Naik, the superintending archaeologist of ASI-Patna circle.