Dengue awareness banners dot Mumbai

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is on an awareness campaign spree, and has displayed banners for dengue awareness all across the city.

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Spreading awareness: A few of the banners displayed by the BMC as a part of their dengue awareness campaign. Pics/Datta Kumbhar

Luckily for the civic body, they have had to pay only Rs 3.3 lakh for 10 hoardings out of the hundreds displayed. The BMC has displayed these hoardings on electric poles known as Backlit Pole Kiosks, located at just two places in the city: Marine Drive and Worli Sea Face.

Manisha Mhaiskar, additional municipal commissioner, BMC, said, "There are more than 500 hoardings put up in the suburbs for our awareness programme. We have put up 5 hoardings each on the 10 electric Backlit Pole Kiosk poles available only at Marine Drive and Worli Sea Face, for which we have to pay Rs 3.3 lakh. The other spaces are managed by the licence department, which belongs to us. For those spaces, we don't have to pay anything."

Though the BMC has pledged to not deface the city with illegal banners and hoardings, its awareness campaign has drawn some criticism.

Dnyanraj Nikam, opposition leader, Congress at the BMC, said, "There are many other ways of campaigning. I do not understand why they have chosen to display it all around the city. Doesn't this disturb the look of the city? And now, if we too display banners for a good cause, why should we have to pay any one for the space?"

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The number of dengue deaths in the city this yearu00a0