BMC removes 9,807 unauthorised banners; Andheri East tops the list

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has pulled down 9,807 illegal banners and posters in a drive conducted from September 1 to 21.

Of these, 4,919 were religious banners, 3,566 were political ones, and 608 were of commercial nature. Maximum defacement was found in Andheri East (K East ward) with 909 posters followed by 807 in Kurla (L ward) and 790 in Bandra East (H East ward), civic officials said. Only 33 banners, the lowest, were found in Dadar and Mahim (G North ward).

The exercise, however, put officials from BMC’s licence and removal of encroachment department in a tight spot as they feared assault by political workers.

On September 9, the Shiv Sena shakha pramukh of shakha 21 Prakash Giri beat up civic officials and labourers for removing their party banners. It is pertinent to note that chief minister Eknath Shinde’s orders to municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal to act against unauthorised banners and posters were not heeded by his own party workers.

The Kandivali police have booked Giri under section 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from carrying out his duty) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from discharging his duty) of the Indian Penal Code.

An official from the licence and removal of encroachment department pointed to a Satara vs Maharashtra government court case in 2010 on the issue of illegal banners. In an interim order on January 31, 2017, the court directed the police department to keep a vigil at night.

“If the police keep a vigil at night, then there will be no illegal banners. However, the police are not doing their job and political workers put up these banners. And when BMC officials go to remove them, they are assaulted. It is a vicious cycle,” the official said.

Giri is now out on anticipatory bail. “We had opposed his bail plea in the court. Without police protection our officers get beaten up for performing their duties. But if they don’t act on instructions they face suspension,” the official pointed out.

The official further said till date there had not been a single FIR against political workers who erected banners at night. “Our staff are affiliated to a BMC workers’ union, and they have made it clear that unless they get protection, they will not remove any more banners.”

In an online meeting held on September 1, Chahal directed assistant commissioners of 24 wards to remove all unauthorised banners and posters and to ensure that the area was clean, and potholes were filled.