Mira-Bhayandar: Despite being snubbed by Supreme Court Judge- Justice Abhay Oka for allowing unauthorised banners to come up in the region, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) seems to be handling the eyesore menace with kid gloves.
While several defacers have been escaping penal action, the MBMC finally registered a police complaint against two local office bearers of Shiv Sena (Shinde Camp) for illegally installing a huge 15 feet x 10 feet framed banner above the pavement in the Ramdev Park area of Mira Road.
In response the Navghar police registered an offence against the duo under section 3 of the Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1995 which deals with defacing any place open to public view on Tuesday.
Convictions under the act can lead to imprisonment up to three months, a fine of up to 2,000 rupees, or both. However, action eludes officials and personnel attached to the local ward office and anti-encroachment wing who allow such eyesores to come up in their jurisdictions and act only after the anomalies are pointed out by citizens’.
Moreover, the banner printers were also allowed to go scot-free. Notably, Justice Abhay Oka had openly expressed his displeasure against the inaction of the civic authorities while addressing the gathering at the inauguration ceremony of the Judicial Magistrate First-Class (JMFC) and Civil Judge (junior division) court in the Hatkesh area of Mira Road after spotting illegal banners on 8, March.
