In the first week of September, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) removed more than 8,000 unlawful banners, posters, and boards. This was done at the order of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The civic authorities have asked the Mumbai police to keep watch, especially at night. The police will take strong action against offenders to stop illegal banners.
This initiative was launched on September 1. The BMC removes between 15,000 and 20,000 of these hoardings and banners annually. 45 percent of these are either for political parties or to wish a political leader a happy birthday.
A total of 500 political party flags were taken down from various locations in the city. The most vandalised regions were Kandivali, Andheri, Santacruz, Bandra, and Bhandup. According to the BMC's official statistics, 3,151 of these banners had political content, 2,686 had religious content, and 561 had commercial content.
Each ward has a team that regularly goes to its assigned location and takes down the banners. After taking down the banners, the civic organisation photographs them and files a Defacement Act complaint against the person whose name the poster bears. Then, a case is filed in the Metropolitan Magistrate's Court against unauthorised commercial hoarding. This carries an INR 5,000 fine.
A person who violates the Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1995, may be subject to a INR 2,000 fine, a three-month prison sentence, or both. The offender may also be punished under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act for unauthorised hoardings or posters. Under this, they can be fined between INR 1,000 and INR 5,000.
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