Political posters ruin paintings on city walls

Patna: With the election season nearing, posters of political parties and wall slogans can now be noticed in almost every major crossing of the capital, at places even replacing the traditional Madhubani paintings with which the city has been adorned. A large number of posters and banners can be seen on roadsides from Income Tax roundabout to R Block crossing. Slogans can be seen painted on the pillars of the R Block flyover and the walls near Harding Park , at times amounting to defacement of public property, even as the Patna Municipal Corporation has been putting full effort to develop the state capital as a beautiful smart city like. At many places like near Hartali More and Gandhi Maidan, the Madhubani paintings made on the walls of government building campuses have actually been ruined by the slogans painted over them.Asked, Patna municipal commissioner Animesh Kumar Parashar said he will first verify the issue if at all the current political propaganda amounts to defacement of public property. “After verification only, we can take any action,” he said.This, however, has not gone down well with the residents. Manoj Rai, a resident of Anandpuri, said it takes a long time to beautify the city, but these types of activities ruin all the efforts. “The political parties do not care for the general public. They just care about their agenda,” he said.Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1987, even calls for punishment and fine for defacing a public property. According to the act, anybody, who defaces any property in public view by writing or marking it with ink, chalk, paint or any other material, except for the purpose of indicating the name and address of the owner or occupier shall be deemed to have committed an offence, and punishable with imprisonment for term which may extended to six months or with fine, which may extend to Rs 1,000, or with both.