The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday morning sent the entire administration of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into a frenzy by setting a four-hour deadline to remove illegal banners, buntings and flex boards across the city.
Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, heading a division bench with Justice R. Devdas, issued the direction to BBMP counsel V. Sreenidhi as soon as the bench assembled for the morning session. The Chief Justice summoned Mr. Sreenidhi to the court hall and issued a direction for removal of illegal banners, buntings, and flex boards by 2.30 p.m.
The Chief Justice directed the BBMP counsel to submit a report when the bench takes up hearing of a PIL petition, listed at serial number 99 on the cause list, related to menace of illegal banners, buntings and flex boards. It was made clear to the BBMP counsel that the court can verify the process of removal of such illegal structures by appointing court-commissioners.
‘Stop all other work’
The BBMP counsel sent a WhatsApp message to Commissioner N. Manjunatha Prasad, who in turn sent an alert to all joint commissioners, chief engineers, superintendent engineers, executive engineers, assistant executive engineers and assistant engineers to stop their all other works and deploy all the men and machinery to comply with the order, and sent him updates on the action taken.
When the bench took up the PIL petition around 3.45 p.m., the BBMP counsel informed that around 5,000 illegal banners, etc were removed by 2 p.m. while clarifying that removed structures have been kept in various BBMP offices and the removal process had been photographed.
“So finally BBMP started functioning from today,” the Chief Justice quipped but the BBMP counsel was quick to add that the civic body has been functioning and taking action. The bench asked whether the BBMP could not have acted on its own without a direction from the court.
‘Clean Bengaluru’
The bench asked the BBMP counsel to ensure that the process of removal of such illegal structures be videographed while observing that the civic body has to first ‘clean Bengaluru’ not just by removing illegal banners, buntings, etc but in many other ways so that city’s lost radiance is restored.
Advertisement hoardings
In another PIL related to the illegalities in putting up advertisement hoardings, the bench asked the administration if the BBMP could be closed if it cannot come out with bye-laws for advertisements despite the lapse of several years. The court may have to infer that the administration of the BBMP has collapsed, the bench cautioned.
In the afternoon, the BBMP counsel said that the civic body’s council will be discussing a new advertisement bye-law in its meeting scheduled on August 7.
The bench adjourned further hearing on the PIL petition till August 8.