The Karnataka High Court has termed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) as the first enemy of the city due to its lackadaisical approach towards the proliferation of illegal hoardings, which not only mar the city's aesthetic but also contributes to substantial revenue losses. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit was hearing a batch of petitions on the issue of illegal hoardings/flexes in the city on Wednesday, October 11. 

During the hearing, Senior Advocate Ravivarma Kumar, representing one of the petitioners, said that commercial hoarding operators are obliged to remit fees to the BBMP. He, however, argues that the BBMP officials work hand-in-glove with the advertisers, resulting in a surge in unauthorised hoardings as well as a financial loss for Palike.

“It is a loss of revenue to the BBMP and to fill up that loss, you (BBMP) will burden the citizens. This is the problem. You are the first enemy of the city,” Justice Dixit observed. 

The court has now directed the BBMP to undertake a comprehensive survey of all hoardings, advertisement boards, and flexes erected across the city over the past three years. This survey must include details such as the number of permissions granted for structures, the duration of permissions, fees collected, and the count of structures erected without proper authorisation.

The court further directed the BBMP to take decisive action against officials found wanting in their duty to curtail the spread of illicit hoardings. In response to a prior directive, the BBMP reported that 242 notices were issued to erring junior officers for neglecting their duty to combat illegal hoardings.

In August, the Karnataka High Court criticised the civic body for its inaction against unlawfully erected flex banners during the May Assembly elections. Following the court's strong response, the government banned hoardings and flex banners during political gatherings. Additionally, the BBMP levied fines of Rs 50,000 on several firms, including Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, for displaying flex banners in front of the Congress office on Queen's Road.