City being defaced is everyone's problem

This cannot be a legit explanation. As leaders are supposed to take responsibility about goings on, and designate the proper person to take corrective action

Illegal advertisements and posters have come up on most of the under-construction pillars across the Dahisar-D N Nagar Metro 2A corridor and the Western Highway road stretch of the Dahisar-Andheri East Metro 7. Even before the Metro in the city is up and running, miscreants have begun defacing the structures.

Illegal stickers on the pillars of under-construction metro lines are becoming a major menace for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) officials. Though there is a R1,000 fine for sticking posters on Metro premises, it is evident that this is no deterrent for those who use city infrastructure as their free advertisement wall. While this is reprehensible, we also need to reflect on where these people are getting their 'inspiration' from. How many times have politicians used the city's walls to put up their own or their party pictures?

Many, if not at most, times this is illegal. Yet the party followers insist on putting hoardings on any available space, either congratulating leaders or wishing them on birthdays with irksome regularity. Some leaders when confronted about this unwanted wallpaper in Mumbai feign ignorance and claim their party workers may have pasted this without their knowledge. This cannot be a legit explanation. As leaders are supposed to take responsibility about goings on, and designate the proper person to take corrective action.

This has been pointed out to party workers repeatedly but there seems to be little change at this level. When the custodians of the city, state and country continue to flout laws, one cannot expect too much from lay people. We need to embrace civic sense, a bit part of which includes respect for and not defacing facilities – whether they are transport or other amenities.

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