Is Patiala MC, Forest department fulfilling its duty responsibly?
Kanwar Inder Singh / royalpatiala.in
Even after around a month has passed when the aam admi party won the assembly elections with thumping majority, the illegal boards, flexes still defacing the royal city of Patiala.
Immediately after the election results supporters and local leaders of political parties install illegal political flex boards on walls, electricity poles and other places in the city.
Illegal flex boards congratulating newly-elected MLAs continue to pour out on city roadsides every day. From congratulating Patiala MLA Ajit Pal Singh Kohli for winning the seat to congratulating Aam Aadmi Party are written loud on roadsides of Patiala city.
The supporters don’t even spare the trees, electricity poles. The illegal affixation of flex boards regularly leads to losses for the Municipal Corporation as the affixers do not pay the requisite amount of money to the local body for the installation as per the Punjab Municipal Outdoor Advertisement Act. The illegal affixation of hoardings, flex boards on tress goes unchecked.
Even the leaders fail to ask the officials to remove all the illegal hoardings, even after around a month of their victory.
The municipal corporation, forest department officials are not in a mood to remove illegal hoardings or to issue notice to the advertisers.
When contacted Forest Range officer Patiala Balbir Singh Dhillon, he said “ it’s not in my knowledge that someone has affix flexes on Trees. It’s an offence to affix a hoarding, flex on trees. When shown the pictures, he said I’ll ask my subordinates to remove them immediately. When asked, is the forest department going to take any action issue a notice of violation under Forest Act, on this he said it’s a lengthy process. We are going to remove the flex, hoarding but will not issue any notice to them.’ When contacted the DFO Patiala Vidayasagar RU, she didn’t responded to the calls.
When contacted the municipal corporation commissioner Keshav Hingonia, he said “we are removing the illegal hoardings. It’s an ongoing process. People install the illegal hoardings, we remove them. When questioned why some of the hoardings are not removed since long, he said contact the superintendent land branch.’
“These politicians must set a trend and ask the officials to remove illegal hoardings immediately. Recently, Patiala (Urban) MLA Ajitpal Singh Kohli had met the officials of Patiala to take a feedback from them about the ongoing development projects. Even in that meeting he fails to ask the officials to remove all the illegal hoardings from the city” said Gagandeep, a resident of Patiala.
Is Patiala MC, Forest department fulfilling its duty responsibly?. When contacted the Patiala (urban) MLA Ajitpal Singh Kohli, he didn’t pick up the phone.
April 7,2022
