As Shiv Sena went overboard with banners wishing Bal Thackeray on his birthday, other parties followed suit, adding to the woes of the civic body

The BMC, in spite of authorising a stipulated number of banners and posters for Bal Thackeray's birthday, was perturbed to see that party workers and supporters blatantly disregarded the rules.

A few days before Senior Thackeray's 85th birthday, the civic body received requests from party workers to display banners and posters for the occasion.
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Banners mushroomed in the city greeting the Shiv Sena supremo on his 85th birthday


It granted permission for 42 posters and 35 banners to be displayed during January 18-21.

According to the BMC, this number included all 24 wards in the city. However, the civic officials were in for a rude shock as thousands of illegal posters and banners mushroomed on every other street.

This was because other parties did not want to be outdone.

The central suburb of Bhandup was decked with numerous unauthorised posters, cutouts and banners, wishing, not Thackeray, but Nationalist Congress Party MP, Sanjay Patil, on his birthday.
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Each ward, according to an unnamed official, had over a hundred posters and banners displayed.

"The number of banners in the city had reduced before Thackeray's birthday, but sprang up in vast numbers two days ago," said BMC's License Department's Superintendent,u00a0 D S Kharat.

He further added, "We don't know who has put up these unauthorised banners and so cannot penalise anyone. The only option we have left, is to pull down all illegal posters and banners."

Another official, from G North Ward, on condition of anonymity,u00a0 said, "The situation will not improve unless the courts and the election commission issue strict orders for regulating the use of banners.

Political parties should take it upon themselves to prevent workers from constantly putting up banners to congratulate and wish their party leaders."

Taking pot shots

Rahul Shewale, BMC's Standing Committee chairperson, said, "Illegal hoardings and banners will not stop unless political parties advise their workers.

But birthdays are not celebrated everyday and we had informed party workers to secure the necessary permissions before putting up the banners."

Congress Spokesperson Nizamuddin Rayeen, stated that after orders by CM Prithviraj Chavan, the Congress party is trying hard not to put up any hoardings of its own.
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"We have already told everyone not to violate the rules and affect the beauty of the city in any way," he said.

He further added, "The Shiv Sena is ruling the Corporation and is itself violating the law. Every road and every corner in the city has huge banners put up illegally by the party workers."

The Other Side
Shiv Sena spokesperson Shweta Parulekar said, "We had already sent a circular instructing all party workers to abide by the law and put up few banners to wish Balasaheb on his birthday. But the love everyone has for Balasaheb is immense and we could not stop them."