HC tells BBMP to remove all banners in city immediately

5,000 removed in one afternoon

The Karnataka High Court directed Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to remove all flexes and banners put up in the city, by Wednesday afternoon.

Following the stern direction of the High Court, BBMP sprang into action on Wednesday afternoon and quickly pulled down over 5,000 illegal banners and flexes across the city.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari heard a public interest litigation filed by Mayige Gowda, a social activist, who moved the court seeking direction to the BBMP to remove an estimated 23,000 illegal flexes and banners across the city.

The court directed the BBMP Commissioner to file an action taken report after the removal, by Wednesday afternoon. The court also directed all concerned officers to be present before the court.

BBMP springs into action

The BBMP counsel submitted to the Court on Wednesday evening, that the civic body had taken up the task seriously and 5,000 unauthorised flexes were removed in the afternoon.

When asked when the city would be completely flex-and-banner-free, the BBMP counsel submitted that the process would be completed within 24 hours (on Thursday).

The bench also directed BBMP to put in place methods for addressing the menace and present the same before the court at the next hearing. The court observed that this was a problem that can recur and hence a concrete plan needs to be in place.

The BBMP Commissioner was also present during the hearing. The court said this matter would be deliberated in detail at the next hearing and adjourned the case to August 8.