A mural on tribal life and culture adorns a Tata Steel wall along the Sakchi-Bistupur connector in Jamshedpur. (Srinivas)

Jamshedpur, Nov. 23: The writing is on the wall, albeit against graffiti.

Clean city has clean walls is Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company’s (Jusco) new campaign slogan for a “stainless” steel city.

The urban infrastructure service provider and Tata Steel subsidiary has embarked on an ambitious mission to scan every nook and cranny, every boundary wall and roundabout and even road dividers for posters and advertisements. The campaign is already on a trial run in the company’s lease area.

“Advertisements on walls are doubly disturbing. First, they make the town look ugly and, second, they distract drivers, often leading to accidents. So, we have decided to clean walls across the city,” Rajesh Rajan, head of corporate communications, Jusco, told The Telegraph.

The novel idea of waging a war on graffiti — both political and commercial — dawned on some Jusco officials who visited Bhubaneswar in Orissa and were impressed to see how walls were kept clean and used to promote local art.

Taking a cue, the company has already commissioned local artists who have created murals of tribal life on a stretch of Tata Steel walls between Bistupur and Sakchi.

Rajan said it was on a trial basis. Jusco will soon hire an agency to check every wall in the town and ensure they remain clean, he added.

The company is also consulting with its corporate legal cell for more suggestions on how to prevent misuse of walls with free-of-cost publicity material that marred the city’s splendour.

“The main problem is created by ads of local products and services. Political parties too add to the nuisance. They paste posters on walls during polls and rallies, but rarely bother to take them off after the programmes are over. Trouble is always likely if a corporate house tries to remove the posters. So, we are consulting with our legal cell on the best way to drive home the point,” Rajan said.

He added that they would also secure their campaign under provisions of the Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1987.

Earlier this year, Jamshedpur was ranked seventh among Indian cities in terms of sanitation based on a survey conducted by the Union urban development ministry as a part of its National Urban Sanitation Policy.

The study was carried out by agencies such as AC Nielsen, ORG Marg, Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology and Development Research Services.

Jusco’s latest initiative will only add to its glory.