Delhi is a city of hoardings. They are everywhere – be it the traffic islands, flyovers and footpaths. They carry the political messages, commercial jinxes and public service ads. It is quite normal for them to be put up by the sycophants of the great politicians congratulating them on their birthdays or upon their nominations or elevations to the higher political posts. These political hoardings are used by politicians to express gratitude to the party top brass for their senseless magnanimities, or to express wishes to their respective constituencies on every conceivable social or religious occasion, be it Eid, Deepawal, Baisakhi or Holi.
A large number of these hoardings are put by politicians cutting across the party lines. They are put up with impunity wherever they are supposed to catch the public eye. Even the petty upstarts or the office bearers of the Residents Welfare Associations wish to use hoardings to show off their importance.
It must be said though, that huge, ugly hoardings pitched indiscriminately across the length and breadth of Delhi are a great nuisance. They are hazardous and cause extreme inconvenience to the general public. They block the view of the drivers and cause fatal accidents. At times they block the traffic signals and cause chaotic situations on the busy crossings.
These hoardings are put up in gross violation of civic sense and also the civil law. More than a month has passed since a new advertising policy was framed on 12th October 2007 as per the directives of the Supreme Court of India. An anti-hoarding law was framed on the lines of the West Bengal Prevention of Defacement of Property Act 1976. According to this law, the violators were to be fined and produced before the metropolitan magistrate for prosecution.
According to the new policy, big hoardings can be installed at a minimum distance of 75 meters from the traffic signals. They are banned in residential areas. The MCD officials are reluctant to issue challans against the sponsors of the advertisements or to even remove these ugly structures. Even if they take some action these hoardings come back again in no time.
It was decided that 150 sites recommended by the police would be earmarked for putting up social, cultural, religious and political advertisements. The MCD, true to its work culture, is yet to develop these sites to make them suitable for putting up hoardings.