LMC plans to catch defacers in the Act!

THE LUCKNOW Municipal Corporation has decided to make provisions for a strict punishment for statues and wall defacers in the new Act.

“You will find posters of various institutes, companies pasted on the most of the statues and walls in the city, we have to spend a lot on maintenance of these statues. But, defacers keep on defacing these statues,” said acting municipal commissioner Santosh Kumar and added, “We cannot permit the statues of our great heroes being abused by the defacers anymore. We have decided to pass an Act against the defacing of statues and walls in the city, which will carry a heavy penalty and adequate punishment as a deterrent.”

According to municipal chief the proposal of passing the Act would be placed before the House in the next general session scheduled to meet in the first week of February.

The LMC has launched a special drive for cleaning the defaced statues in the city. Municipal chief is personally supervising the statue cleaning drive.

Leader of opposition in LMC house Mujeeb-Ur- Rehman Babloo welcomed the move and said, “It’s irritating for the common man to read cheap wall writings when they pass through Vidhan Bhavan, Hazratganj, MaharanaPratap crossing, or they visit places like   Residency, Imambara, Baradari, Zoo , sometimes few NGO’s and organisations paste their  posters on the statues of National Heroes installed at several crossings of the city.”

People knowingly or unknowingly keep on damaging rich cultural heritage of the city by writing lewd remarks on the walls, pasting posters and banners on the statues said an official of Archaeological Survey of India on the condition of anonymity. He added these people not only deface walls of historical buildings but they are responsible for spoiling original look and causing irreparable damage to the monuments.

He said, “LMC has no law to deal with the defacers, According to the law of state the maximum fine of Rs 500 could be imposed on the culprit or he is liable for one month imprisonment but till date no one has been imprisoned for defacing the historical monument”.

The LMC officials feel that its also the duty of residents to react against the defacement of public property, however local police are directed to stop the defacing of public property such as statues and walls of historical buildings like Vidhan Bhawan or Imambara, even the placement of posters and banners without permission is not allowed.