Illegal hoardings: Number of complaints & penalties collected expose huge gap

Chandra Prabhu | NT Bureau

Bengaluru: The advertisement wing of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) revenue department has collected Rs. 4,54,000 in fines from those who have put up illegal hoardings and billboards, in a time span from April 1 last year to May 16 this year, officials told News Trail on Tuesday.

In the documents accessed by NT, Mahadevapura Zone saw 90 First Information Reports (FIR) being filed with the police, but the penalty collected by the Palike is only Rs. 70,600.

What's even more shocking is that in Bommanahalli and Dasarahalli zones, no fines were collected despite 21 complaints being filed. It is the same situation in the south zone, where 51 FIRs were filed with zero fines. Rajarajeshwari Nagar zone has collected the highest penalty of Rs. 2,75,000 after 13 FIRs were filed.

The Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) of 1981 makes it mandatory for the civic body to punish those who put up unauthorized advertisements with a fine of Rs.1000 or a jail term of six months.

“The act must be amended and the fines should be increased,” the official said. The huge mismatch between the number of FIRs and the fines collected is also because of a lack of clarity.

“There is often confusion on whether the complaint should be filed against the brand or against the advertisement agency. The companies deny any involvement and the ad agencies do not turn up,” alleged the official.

Citizens have repeatedly blamed officials for their inaction in removing these hoardings, especially in Mahadevapura zone. Sandeep Aniruddhan, convenor of Namma Whitefield alleged that public property is being damaged.

“The signages and footpaths are damaged, why are officials regularly not taking action?” he wondered. Many also recall the sad incident where a large billboard in Ghatkopar, Mumbai collapsed after strong winds, reportedly killing 16. Those identifying illegal hoardings can report it to the Palike’s WhatsApp helpline: 9480683939