Mumbai: Illegal banners resurface on Dahisar-Andheri Metro line

The pillars of the under-construction Dahisar-Andheri-D N Nagar Metro line 7 are full of illegal posters allegedly put up by BJP workers. PIC/Nimesh Dave

The menace of illegal posters on the Dahisar-D N Nagar Metro pillars may have ended after mid-day's reports, but it has surfaced on the Dahisar-Andheri East Metro line 7. Many illegal posters have been put up on the pillars along the Kandivli to Borivli stretch.

BJP behind posters?
During this reporter's visit to the around 1 to 2 km stretch between Kandivli's Thakur Complex and Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivli, the pillars of the under-construction Dahisar-Andheri-D N Nagar Metro line 7 were full of illegal banners.

The illegal posters have allegedly been put up by BJP workers and there are pictures of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, MLA Pravin Darekar and corporator Prakash Darekar on them. Asked about the illegal posters, Darekar said, "Our party workers may have put up the posters on metro pillars, but I have already instructed that they be removed, which has been done in some places."

Authority speak
MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawatkar said, "Sticking posters on Metro pillars is illegal. I will ask the concerned officials to visit the spot, only after which I will be in a position to comment further."

Illegal posters removed
On September 9, in a mid-day report (Illegal posters deface Malad Metro line pillars) it had been stated that the issue of illegal advertisements and posters had cropped up for the Metro authorities on the Dahisar-DN Nagar Metro Line 2A corridor, which is under-construction. The 150-200m stretch in Malad was replete with illegal advertisements and banners.

On Tuesday, when mid-day visited the stretch, the banners pasted on the piers had been removed and the piers had even been cleaned. This was also reported by mid-day (Phata poster, nikla advertiser) on September 19.

In the past, MMRDA has faced the issue of illegal posters and banners on the piers of the Metro and monorail. The problem especially arises during the festival season. Stickers are pasted on monorail pillars in Wadala, Lalbaug and Parel. Removing these stickers is a daunting task as the glue is so strong that the posters don't come off easily.

The law says
The Metro Railways Act, 2002, states that sticking of posters and banners on Metro premises is an offence, punishable with six months of imprisonment or a fine of Rs 1,000. In 2015, 71 people, including shopkeepers and members of political parties, were served with a notice by the authorities for sticking posters and banners on the pillars of Versova-Ghatkopar Metro Line 1.

Also Read: Mumbai: Illegal Posters Deface Malad Metro Line Pillars

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