All advertising hoardings must be taken down from Kolkata’s streets within seven days after the carnival. If this directive is violated anywhere, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will initiate action to remove the hoardings themselves, according to the KMC sources on Saturday.
Debashis Kumar, the Mayor-in-Council member for the advertising department and an MLA, stated that the carnival will end on Sunday. All advertising hoardings must be removed within seven days after the carnival ends on Sunday.
He further stated that if anyone disobeys this order, the municipality will remove the hoardings on its own. However, questions have been raised within the civic body regarding why the KMC should take on the responsibility of removing the hoardings instead of penalizing violators. The officials responsible for this work reportedly could not provide a clear answer.
New Advertising Policy Ignored During Festive Season
Earlier this year, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation implemented a new advertising policy in the city. To enhance city beautification, Mayor Firhad Hakim had announced several new rules — including the introduction of ad-free zones, monopole advertising, and a ban on hoardings that obscure heritage buildings.
During the festive season, however, these rules were largely ignored. The entire city was covered in advertisements, and in many places, hoardings were left standing for days without removal. Questions have again been raised within the civic body as to why no legal action is being taken against those violating the regulations.
Sajal Ghosh, BJP spokesperson and councillor of Ward No. 50 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, said, “The current municipal board has no precedent for taking action against rule-breakers. Therefore, it can be expected that no action will be taken in this case either.”
From the Left, Madhuchanda Deb, CPI councillor of Ward No. 92, remarked, “Those who refuse to remove advertising hoardings in the interest of city beautification should be fined by the municipal board.” Both councillors pointed out that the funds in the municipal treasury come from taxpayers’ money, and therefore fines should be imposed on rule violators.
Responding to the issue, Debashis Kumar, Mayor-in-Council member of the concerned department, said, “During the Durga Puja season, trade worth several thousand crore rupees takes place in Kolkata. There is a big difference between relaxing rules and breaking them. Since a large amount of commercial revenue flows into the city’s economy during Puja, certain rules are temporarily relaxed during this period.”
