Bhubaneswar: Posters and hoardings are not only an eyesore, but have also become a major traffic hazard.

Political parties have put up several posters and hoardings along the roads and at major junctions to wish people on the New Year. These are seen as a hazard for commuters and could cause potentially fatal accidents.

"I almost fell off my motorcycle a few days ago at Ram Mandir Square. A large black hoarding is installed in the middle of the junction and when I was trying to figure out what it is, a four-wheeler came in front of me. Fortunately, I slammed the brakes at the right time," said Jiten Mitra, a commuter.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, however, does not have a proper enforcement system to regulate these political hoardings. "These hoardings distract us while on the road. It is very disturbing," said Kharavela Nagar resident Nitesh Mishra.

The civic body follows the Odisha Outdoor Advertisement Regulation to keep a check on irregular mounting of rooftop and other hoardings. The regulation aims to ensure road safety and aesthetic values too. Political hoardings, though, do not fall under its ambit.

The civic body also do not earn anything from political hoardings. "We want to maintain the beauty of the city and also ensure safety of citizens on roads. We removed some hoardings in the past, but had to face criticism from several quarters for being biased. But we were just doing our duty," said a civic body official.

The corporation's deputy commissioner Srimanta Mishra said they recently convened a meeting with representatives of various political parties and decided to come up with a mechanism for such hoardings.

"Representatives of political parties gave their consent to support us in our initiative," said Mishra.

He said a special enforcement squad would be formed to remove hoardings and banners that distract commuters and hamper the city's beautification.

"We will designate 'No hoarding zones' where no one will be allowed to put up any kind of hoarding," he said.

Sources said the civic body was in the process of coming up with a system where political parties would have to take permission before mounting hoardings in any part of the city.

"We have decided to provide all information related to these hoardings on our website to ensure transparency in the system," said another civic official.