Jammu fast becoming city of billboards, JMC sleeping

Tahir Mushtaq
JAMMU, Feb 12: The city of temples is fast becoming huge billboard, thanks to the rampant unauthorised erected hoardings, sign boards, advertisement portals in virtually every nook and corner of the city. Despite the recent drive launched by the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) against these hoarding, walls, fencings, electric poles, buildings even roof tops continue to be used with impunity for putting up hoarding of all types even government ones. Added to this are the small private tutorials that have displayed their hoardings at many places to attract students. Even the roads have not escaped these advertisements sidelining the traffic rules as the visual impediments and distractions created by them could cause accidents on various roads. “Make a round of any part of the city and you will realize that advertisements, hoardings and posters have been fixed on virtually every available space. This has given the city very ugly look”, said Ankush Abrol, a resident of Gandhi nagar. Though JMC launched a special drive against these unauthorised hoardings recently but it did not had any effect on their use and most parts of the city continue to be in grip of these hoarding. Sources said that JMC has become slow in its drive as pressure was built on the officials to be selective keeping in view the business interests of some prominent people in the town. “Given the quantum of the illegal hoardings in Jammu, it seems that it will take months of sustained drive to make Jammu free from such illegal hoardings”, added a college student Megha Gupta. People say that if the officials are sincere about removing these hoarding they can do it within days, but JMC just do a publicity stunt. “There are certain norms regarding the use of the public spaces for advertisements in the city and we are making plans to intensify our drive against such violations”, Singh said. “Jammu is a big city and it will take some time to clear all the hoarding from the town, but we have directed officials to take required action”, he said. Amit Kumar, an Engineering student rued that even the trees on the roadsides have not been spared. “I don’t know under which law they are allowed to put banner and sign boards on the trees, it gives ugly look to the city”.