Banners welcoming Amit Shah deface Doon, BJP-led civic body looks other way
Shah had visited the Uttarakhand capital on September 19 and 20 to take stock of the party affairs. Prior to that, BJP leaders and workers had openly defaced public places by flooding them with posters and banners that greeted Shah, even though defacing public property is prohibited under the Uttaranchal Prevention of Defacement of Public Property Act.
DEHRADUN: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet Swachhta Mission seems to have gone for a toss in Dehradun where posters welcoming BJP chief Amit Shah, which had flooded all parts of the city last month, continue to deface public spaces more than a fortnight after his visit.
Shah had visited the Uttarakhand capital on September 19 and 20 to take stock of the party affairs. Prior to that, BJP leaders and workers had openly defaced public places by flooding them with posters and banners that greeted Shah, even though defacing public property is prohibited under the Uttaranchal Prevention of Defacement of Public Property Act.
Ironically, the local civic body entrusted with the removal of such materials, is run by the BJP that has chosen to turn a blind eye to this, alleged the opposition Congress.
“They talk about the power of ‘triple engine’ government (or, the BJP’s rule at the Centre, state and local body level) and the BJP workers exhibited that by going all out to welcome their leader, even if it meant going against Modi ji’s swachhta mission,” said Dehradun city Congress president Prithviraj Chauhan. “They (BJP) rule the Dehradun municipal corporation, but have failed to take action even after so many days of Shah’s visit.”
Dehradun mayor Vinod Chamoli, who is also a lawmaker from the city’s Dharampur constituency, said that the civic body was working to get the defacing materials removed. “I have given orders to officials to get all such posters removed…we’ll see to it that all posters that had been put up without required clearances are taken off as soon as possible,” said Chamoli.
According to insiders, the saffron party leaders and workers had been instructed to ‘do their best’ for ensuring a grand welcome to Shah. “Posters were put up, banners were hung and party flags were fixed wherever possible. Although they were later asked to bring them (posters) down, that didn’t happen,” said a BJP leader who was involved in the team that made arrangements for Shah.