The cityscape of Nagpur has been aggressively plastered with unauthorised political banners and flex boards, marking a flagrant disregard for repeated directives from the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court. As campaigning for the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections intensifies, these illegal displays have mushroomed at major traffic junctions, footpaths, and public properties, transforming the city into a visual and physical hazard.
Court Orders Ignored, Public Spaces Defaced
The Bombay High Court had recently, during the Assembly session, reprimanded the NMC for its inaction against illegal hoardings. The court had issued a clear mandate, directing the civic body to remove all such unauthorised displays within 12 hours. However, the ground reality presents a stark contrast to this order. While the NMC's advertisement department had sanctioned permissions for only 254 hoardings, banners, and flex boards until Thursday, the city tells a completely different story.
From Wathoda Chowk and Kapil Nagar Chowk to Jaripatka Ring Road and Dighori Chowk, oversized political publicity material is blatantly visible. These installations occupy critical spots like traffic islands, road dividers, streetlight masts, and even electric poles. This not only defaces public spaces but actively obstructs sightlines for commuters, turning busy intersections into potential danger zones. The misuse is rampant at peak-traffic locations, despite explicit prohibitions.
Accountability Fixed, Yet Action Cosmetic
The issue is a persistent one. The High Court has, on multiple occasions, pulled up both the NMC and the city police, ordering immediate removal and even directing them to register FIRs against the violators. The court has fixed accountability squarely on the civic administration and the local police. Yet, enforcement remains largely superficial.
Activist Dinesh Naidu, the petitioner in the case against illegal hoardings, formally alerted top civic officials, including Municipal Commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari, Deputy Commissioner Milind Meshram, and others, about the fresh violations during the election period. These alerts, however, failed to trigger any visible, large-scale action on the ground for a significant time.
Ironically, every candidate filing nomination papers submits an affidavit pledging not to damage public property or install unauthorised publicity material. While this paperwork is scrutinised at the nomination stage, its spirit is utterly abandoned once the campaign trail heats up.
Notices Issued After Complaint, But Will It Last?
Following the complaint, Deputy Commissioner Milind Meshram issued notices to the assistant commissioners of all ten city zones, directing them to take immediate action against the violations. The notice also included a reference to a letter from Mumbai-based Sandeep Bhalerao to the State Election Commission, urging strict action against those erecting illegal hoardings in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
Acting on this notice, enforcement drives have reportedly been initiated across zones. A senior official from the advertisement department assured that the matter is being looked into. The critical question remains whether this action will be sustained or if it is merely a temporary response, with the illegal hoardings likely to reappear as political competition peaks, continuing to endanger the lives of Nagpur's citizens and mocking the authority of the judiciary.
