Mysuru residents fear poster menace will go up as parties ready for polls

MYSURU: With the state assembly election around the corner, city residents are fearing politicians may deface public places with their posters, banners and pamphlets before the implementation of the model code of conduct .
In many places across the city, political parties have pasted their posters defacing many city walls and spaces. The residents want authorities to keep an eye on such a practice.
According to residents, party posters have been put up by local leaders from public toilets to schools and hostel compound walls. On Monday evening, Mysuru City Corporation staff covered many such posters with paint in many parts of the city. However, similar posters are intact in many places. Banners and hoardings of leaders have become very common on city outskirts.
Residents allege that even in the core city areas, political parties used public places especially toilets, school and hostel compound walls to paste their posters. “For the last few years, there was no poster problem in the city area.
But now, even though rules are very stringent, parties are not too bothered about legal action. We can see party posters at KG Koppal public toilet, a school compound wall in Kamakshi Hospital Road, Saraswathipuram,” said Sunanda Rao, a resident from Saraswathipuram.
Another city resident said that recently hoardings of a politician were put up by his supporters on both sides of Chamundi Hills temple road. But no action was initiated by civic agencies even though it was a forest area, he alleged. Activist Shylajesha S said the Mysuru City Corporation officials are not responding to complaints on posters.
“Earlier, there was a system to put up banners with a prescribed fee, undertaking of its removal etc. Unfortunately, now this rule has been thrown to the wind. While political posters dog the the city area, huge hoardings cause visual pollution on the ring road and in rural areas,” he said.
Deputy commissioner KV Rajendra said permission from local bodies is required for putting banners in public places. MCC commissioner G Lakshmikantha Reddy didn’t react to our queries.