Banners of political leaders in different parts of the capital. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 4: While the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been conducting a drive to remove illegal hoardings and banners from different parts of the capital, the mayor and the councillors themselves appear to be doing a mockery of this.

On the recent occasion of the 14th foundation day of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), several banners and hoardings featuring the photographs of BMC mayor Anant Narayan Jena along with chief minister Naveen Patnaik have been put on display at different traffic squares. Inspired by the act of the mayor, several councillors and political leaders have opted for displaying their New Year messages in similar fashion.

The New Year banners and display boards are yet to be removed.

Sources in the BMC said that most of the hoardings and banners displayed in the public are illegal as they were put up without due permission.

An official of the BMC said that the banners showcasing the mayor along with the chief minister displayed during the foundation day celebration of the ruling party were illegal as no permission had been sought from civic authorities for putting up the banners for the purpose. Later, these illegal structures were removed from the roadside and the traffic junctions by the BMC.

The mayor said that there was option for people to go for exemptions in the matter and his political party normally sought an exemption. However, he said his party had not put up any illegal banners.

However, the councillors continue to flout the rules by putting up these advertisement boards and banners without seeking BMC’s permission. BMC officials said that only one councillor has taken permission from them to put up these boards.

“I had taken a seven-day permission from the BMC, paying the permissible amount to put up a signboard wishing the people on the New Year,” said Sanghmitra Samal, councillor of ward 19, who had taken permission from the municipality. But some of the councillors said that they had displayed the banners in their wards and they don’t think there was any need to seek permission for putting banners inside their wards.

Even some small-time politicians have out up these illegal boards and banners. But the BMC officials said that they have been conducting drives to remove these illegal structures.

“The license wing has been asked to find out the number of such illegal banners and hoardings in the city. The wing has also been asked to remove these structures and take steps against the violators,” said Rina Mohapatra, project officer of the BMC.