Reckless and indiscriminate advertising on the city walls is a common site. Advertisement boards and posters are either hung or pasted on rarely found trees in the city. The business people are doing so indiscriminately in an attempt to draw the attention of the potential customers.
Earlier this year, the DNCC Mayor Anisul Huq issued an order that said, "Businesses and companies have to remove commercial signs and graffiti from the flyovers and walls in public places by 1st March."
On August 18 this year, the High Court asked the DCC to take necessary steps to remove illegal billboards and banners. After the court order Mayor Anisul Huq said, "The authorities would take legal action against those who put up unauthorized billboards and posters in the capital."
According to the High Court ruling, anyone putting up a billboard or a poster or some other advertising material (banners, festoons etc.) in the city, must obtain prior permission from the city corporation.
But sadly though, it appears that no one actually cares about these orders and the situation is getting from bad to worse day by day. For example, the pillars of newly inaugurated Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover are already covered with unauthorized posters and there is no one to remove those. Both the DSCC and DNCC should clamp down on these illegal activities and take immediate steps to remove billboards, banners and all other illegally advertising materials from Dhaka city soon. The main problem is that there are adequate laws forbidding all kinds of illegal activities, but enforcement of these laws is lacking. This is our city and we must keep it clean and tidy at any cost.
Afrin Masud
East West University, Dhaka
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