Berhampur Municipal Corporation implements fines for illegal posters to preserve public beautification efforts

Berhampur: The Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) has decided to impose fines on those putting up illegal posters and banners by defacing public walls in silk city, which have been painted as part of a beautification drive.

A fine of Rs 2,000 will be collected per poster or banner from the offenders, and a case will be registered against them, officials said.“The move aims to maintain the beauty of the public spaces and to curb unchecked proliferation of posters that deface walls of govt buildings,” said Bikram Sundhi, assistant commissioner, BeMC, on Wednesday. He said they issued a public notice in this regard on Tuesday.The beautification drive was launched jointly by the BeMC and Berhampur Development Authority (BeDA) by painting beautiful murals on public walls.

The civic bodies aim to complete painting all govt buildings from Gopalpur Chowk to Ramalingeswar Park before Dussehra.To ensure longevity of the murals, the walls are being coated with anti-carbonation paint, protecting them from pollution and moisture, sources said. BeDA has planned to spend around Rs 2 crore on the beautification drive.Earlier, BeMC evicted encroachments from public spaces before the drive.

BeMC commissioner Prathamesh Arvind Rajeshirke has appealed not to disfigure the walls.Welcoming the move, Sudhir Rout, an environmental activist, said such stringent action should be taken against those who polluted ponds or swept garbage into the drains. “Clogging the drains or dumping anything in the ponds causes health hazards for the public,” he said.