The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has removed temporary puja advertising structures from around 80 locations across the city after finding that several banners and bamboo frameworks had been installed without following prescribed rules. The five-day enforcement drive has targeted advertisements obstructing bus shelters, traffic signals, direction boards, permanent hoardings and road medians.
The civic body’s advertising department had issued no-objection certificates to puja committees and advertising agencies for temporary festival advertisements this year. However, municipal officials said several advertisers did not comply with the conditions attached to those permissions and erected bamboo structures at unauthorised locations.
The removals have focused on public infrastructure used by commuters and motorists. Temporary advertisements were found covering government bus passenger shelters, traffic signal posts and direction boards, according to the report. Structures installed on road dividers and median strips to support elevated banners are also being dismantled.
Municipal officials said approximately 70 locations where advertisements had covered bus shelters, traffic signals or traffic direction boards had been cleared during the operation. A further 10 locations where puja advertisements had been installed on road medians were also included in the drive. The action is being carried out by the corporation’s advertising department.
The affected areas include Shyambazar, Sealdah, Ultadanga and parts of Central Avenue in north Kolkata, as well as Rashbehari, Tollygunge, Jadavpur and other parts of south Kolkata. The civic teams have removed both the advertising banners and the temporary bamboo frameworks supporting them.
The enforcement action comes after recurring complaints about festival advertisements obstructing civic and traffic infrastructure. One municipal official said that despite such complaints every year, effective action had not generally been taken because of the administrative and political pressures associated with puja advertising. The official said the current removals were intended to send a message to puja committees and advertising agencies to comply with restrictions in future.
The corporation said the operation would remain suspended on Saturday and Sunday and resume on Monday. Officials said the drive is expected to continue until around Panchami or Shashthi, before the main days of the festival, with the aim of keeping median strips as clear as possible. Other advertisements found to have been installed without following the rules will also be removed wherever possible.
