The BMC has removed 1,500 illegal hoardings across the city during and after Diwali, of which 552 were removed from the G-North ward which covers areas in Mahim, Dadar and Dharavi.
Ward-wise teams from the licensing department regularly inspect areas within their jurisdictions and consistently pull down illegal hoardings and banners.
Several illegal banners and posters were seen across all 24 administrative wards in the city in October. The city's prime locations and some of the busiest spots including Dadar, Andheri and Kandivali recorded the highest number of illegal hoardings.
“Political activities are more in Dadar and Mahim areas. A large number of hoardings, banners and flags were seen in the Dadar area during the Dusshera rally of the Shiv Sena. The hoardings were removed within a few days,” said a civic official of the G North ward. Meanwhile, Byculla and Govandi saw the least banners removed.
Illegal hoardings put up at traffic junctions have been defacing the city for several years. The Bombay High Court (HC) recently directed the state government to take steps to implement the nodal committee's recommendations to tackle this menace.
The HC suggested amending the BMC Act to make provisions for stricter penalties
