16 February,2015 11:50 AM IST | | Sachin Unhalekar
The BMC’s Licence Department claims to have a strict plan in place against illegal banners across the city, but says it has no jurisdiction over civic premises, where posters have sprung up
While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's Licence Department claims to have a strict action plan in place for illegal banners and posters across the city, it seems it has no control over the issue in its own house.
Some of the posters for the elections put up inside the BMC headquarters
The department has admitted its inability to take action against the candidates contesting the Municipal Co-operative Bank elections on February 28, who have covered every wall of the BMC headquarters and other civic offices with stickers and posters promoting themselves. They have not been fined for this.
The BMC's Licence Department keeps watch and levies heavy fines on those who put up banners and posters around the city without their permission, but senior officials from the department said that their jurisdiction lies beyond the gates of the BMC building and they can't take action within it.
Questioned about the posters, sources confirmed that the candidates have been putting them up for the past two days. Apart from the BMC headquarters at CST, its Worli Engineering Hub, the BMC Printing Press at Byculla and the 24 ward offices have also failed to escape the enthusiastic candidates' posters.
Though Sharad Bande, superintendent, Licence Department, said that the stickers put up in the premises of the BMC offices are not permitted, he also mentioned that the area of the BMC premises doesn't come within his ambit.
"It is the maintenance department of every concerned building that needs to look into the matter and take action as it is within the boundaries of BMC buildings," said Bande. The maintenance officials of BMC headquarters were unavailable for comment.
