Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to launch an extensive drive to remove unauthorised posters, banners and hoardings cluttering electricity and streetlight poles in different parts of the city.The move came after concerned residents raised the issue on TOI’s Citizen Reporter portal recently, highlighting how the current practice dents the city’s beauty and poses a serious road safety threat for commuters and pedestrians alike.Citizen reporter Suchismita Ojha, highlighting the situation of Smart Janpath, wrote that the proliferation of unauthorised advertisements on Bhubaneswar’s street infrastructure highlights a governance gap.“Major roads, especially the Smart Janpath, the ideal city stretch of the Smart City, are increasingly defaced, undermining both urban aesthetics and commuter safety,” she wrote, citing BMC’s weak enforcement mechanism.She stated that without coordinated monitoring and penalties, public property continues to be exploited, eroding the city’s image as a planned, smart capital. “An immediate intervention is the need of the hour,” Ojha mentioned.Another concerned resident, Sumiit Miishra, wrote that the unauthorised advertisements plastered across streetlights, electricity poles and footpaths are marring Bhubaneswar’s urban landscape.Highlighting the situation with photographic evidence, he mentioned that key stretches such as Bidyut Marg, Jaydev Vihar–Nandankanan, Patia–Infocity Road and Madhusudan Marg have become hotspots for defacers.“The clutter not only diminishes the city’s aesthetic appeal but also creates distractions that pose a safety hazard for commuters. The BMC failed to enforce regulations,” said Miishra, urging the authorities to look into the matter.Responding to the concern, city mayor Sulochana Das said they are going to intensify their enforcement activities to remove these unauthorisedly placed advertisements on electricity poles and other public places.“We removed hundreds of such New Year banners and hoardings from public places in the 1st week of January. Some of them reappeared along with some private ads. We will remove them on a war footing,” she said.Another concerned resident, Bhargavi Jena, reported that from Bidyut Marg to Mother Teresa Road and Gopabandhu Marg, the city’s main arteries are turning into cluttered billboards, calling it as Bhubaneswar’s streets are under siege from unauthorised advertisements.“The absence of strict enforcement by BMC to safeguard the public places allowed this menace to grow. We demand accountability and immediate action to restore the city’s dignity and safety,” she demanded.
