Haphazard hoardings continue to scar cityscape

Vadodara: Unable to control temporary hoardings that scar the face of the city, Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has come up with yet another notification placing restrictions on them. Such attempts in the past have borne no results as those at the helm of affairs in the city themselves are involved in placing such hoardings.
The VMC had for the first time come up with a notification in May 2016 barring hoardings on prominent crossroads as well as heritage buildings in the city. The civic body had specifically stated that this would include even hoardings for political, social and religious messages. But it is these temporary hoardings that continue to dot the crossroads in the city in the largest number.

The VMC has now issued another notification banning such hoardings in the radius of 50 meters around crossroads and around heritage buildings. The civic body has also banned any posters, banners or hoardings inside traffic circles or on their railings.

Most hoardings put up on the roads in the city are temporary in nature and put up using bamboo sticks. They are removed during the monsoon when they posed danger to commuters. The only aggressive crackdown by the civic body on these was in April-May 2016, before and after the notification barring them was brought out.

After the 2016 notification and the change in its top brass, the VMC adopted a lenient approach and such hoardings started mushrooming again in the city. VMC officials said they were looking to make a policy regarding hoardings and get it cleared from the elected wing. But no such policy was made and a notification was again brought out.

“We have limitations as the hoardings are put up after taking permissions and paying a fee. There was no rule so far to stop such permissions. With the fresh notification, we will be able to take action,” said an official. However, there has been no action so far after the notification was issued on Monday.