08 December,2013 04:09 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
Fed up of illegal posters and stickers defacing the pillars of Versova-Andheri Ghatkopar Metro rail along the 11.07-km corridor, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) have come up with a smart solution. They have planted creepers around the pillars, which not only beautify the pillars but will also make it impossible to stick illegal posters and stickers.
The MMRDA and MMOPL have been facing the problem of illegal banners on metro pillars for a long time. JP Road in Andheri West is one patch which has seen incessant misuse.
A pillar in Andheri East is lined with creepers. Once the foliage thickens, it will keep stickers at bay, hopefully. Pic/Ranjeet Jadhav
And, the political parties alone are not to blame. Many shopkeepers have hoisted their banners and stuck advertisements about their shops.
During Ganesh Chaturthi, the pillars were hidden behind illegal posters and stickers. Official workers faced a tough time removing these posters, which left behind unappealing marks in the process. "The illegal stickers and banners pasted on the pillars looked really unsightly.
Removing these stickers was very difficult and left ugly marks. That's when we came up with the idea of money-plant creepers. In Andheri East, we have already planted the creepers. Once they grow and the foliage becomes thick, the problem will be solved," said MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawatkar.u00a0
