Two days after Navratri, BMC removes 7,789 banners, hoardings, and posters

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has taken down 7789 banners hoardings posters and flags across the city in the past two days following the conclusion of the Navratri 2025 festivitiesAccording to the civic bodyrsquos licence department the drive was carried out on Friday and Saturday to clear materials that had either outlived their permitted display period or had been put up illegallyAs of 6 pm on Saturday officials said 5522 banners 1266 hoardings boards 508 posters and 493 flags were removed The drive also covered unauthorised entry gates wall posters and other temporary displaysThe Mumbai civic body said most of the materials were permitted only for the festival period and once the duration ended they were dismantled as part of routine enforcementThe licence department added that the crackdown on illegal displays is ongoingmiddaycom had earlier reported how the festive hoardings has turned into a nightmare for motorists on the Western Express Highway WEH as oversized political hoardings and banners put up for Dussehra have created hazardous conditions leading to a series of minor mishaps and nearmissesOver the past few days commuters travelling along the WEH have complained of giant cutouts flex banners and cloth hoardings tied across poles and dividers obstructing visibility Some of these banners loosely fastened with ropes and wires have reportedly dangled dangerously low brushing against moving vehicles In multiple instances bikers have been struck on the head and faceMotorist Tanmay Chavan travelling from Bandra to Andheri said ldquoLate on Wednesday evening a large hoarding tied to a street lamp and a bamboo suddenly came loose The biker ahead of me braked suddenly and I narrowly avoided hitting it Such reckless display of banners is a direct threat to our livesrdquoAnother motorist Ashutosh Revale said ldquoA hoarding on the stretch between Bandra and Khar struck me on the forehead two days ago It had been put up in such a way that its bamboo frame extended beyond the yellow safety line I was at fault too as I wasnt wearing a helmet at the timerdquo Traffic police officials also confirmed that they have witnessed several such incidents since the Dussehra banners were put up three to four days agoldquoOn Wednesday night I helped at least seven to eight bike riders who had crashed into each other after the first one bumped into the hoarding near Santacruz He had slammed the emergency brakes and the rest followed suit During evening peak hours bikers just have a small gap on the left side of the road in which they zip through traffic Banners are always put up there as thats where streetlight poles are Dealing with this situation only adds to our workloadrdquo said Sitaram Gawande a traffic police officer deployed along the WEH