In poll season names on road signs still on show

  • | Monday | 1st April, 2019

The names and designations are still clearly visible,” said Sandeep Shinde, a businessman, who travels through Riverside Road in Shaniwar Peth. With no exceptions, these signs bear the names of the elected representatives as well.However, with the model code of conduct in place, almost all names have been covered to comply with norms. Political commentary has remained, as the boards have retro-reflective saffron coloured backgrounds.Those signs even fall afoul of the Indian Road Congress regulations and established norms for signs, as direction and warning boards are supposed to have retro-reflective signs and lettering in contrasting colours. But the transparent cover has ensured most names are visible.“Some of these boards have colours of certain political parties in thin lines along the margins. These were painted recently as part of Swachh Bharat survey and money was spent again to cover them.

Pune: “It’s almost like a gallery of road signs at some places,” says Vimannagar resident Qaneez Sukhrani, pointing to the flood of new road signs in her area.While in some areas old signs have been retained, new ones, bearing the same information, have been put up at some places.Most of these signs and graffiti in Vimannagar and in other areas in the city have been funded by the PMC at the behest of local elected representatives, and have been put up in the weeks leading up to the notification of the upcoming general elections. With no exceptions, these signs bear the names of the elected representatives as well.However, with the model code of conduct in place, almost all names have been covered to comply with norms. But the transparent cover has ensured most names are visible.“Some of these boards have colours of certain political parties in thin lines along the margins. The corporators put pressure on PMC for a new set of boards across the city. Even the covers they had put up with black tapes are now peeling off. This is a clear violation of the model code of conduct. Even at Ramwadi underpass, the walls had to be repainted in parts because they bore the names of the corporators and the local MLA,” Sukhrani, of Vimannagar Citizens’ Forum, told TOI.Even MLAs have jumped on the bandwagon. Wadgaonsheri MLA Jagdish Mulik installed a raft of signs over the past year, marking everything from lanes, housing societies, localities, and crediting “Maharashtra Shasan (the state government of Mahrashtra)” as the funder of these boards. Political commentary has remained, as the boards have retro-reflective saffron coloured backgrounds.Those signs even fall afoul of the Indian Road Congress regulations and established norms for signs, as direction and warning boards are supposed to have retro-reflective signs and lettering in contrasting colours. Certain shades of blue and green are generally used for road signages, with red for emergency messages.Elsewhere, walls with graffiti have been painted awash for the recently concluded Swachh Sarvekshan that featured names of corporators, and in some cases, even names of local MLAs. Near the Shaniwar Peth residence of guardian minister and BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate Girish Bapat, one such mural that features his name has been partially whitewashed. But Bapat’s designation as “paalak mantri (guardian minister)” is clearly visible beyond the white paint.“Is this not wasting of public money? These were painted recently as part of Swachh Bharat survey and money was spent again to cover them. The names and designations are still clearly visible,” said Sandeep Shinde, a businessman, who travels through Riverside Road in Shaniwar Peth.

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