Bravo ! Mr Mayor

Some years ago, a drive along the Airport Road in Dhaka would generate a soothing feeling. Nicely decked roadside plantations not only rendered a satisfying comfort to eye sights but added value to the scenic beauty of the busy road as well. It really offered an optical delight to anyone using this important road, either way. The aesthetic weightage of the road truly increased manifold.
However, during the last couple of years, hundreds of billboards, some massive, dented the tapestry of that beauty. Not only the Airport Road alone, billboards sprouted along almost all roads of the capital city. At the key junctions in particular, the density of the billboards eclipsed everything behind including mosques and other architecturally imposing buildings. The sights only offered view pollution.
A big respite came last week when scores of these billboards were brought down. The operation was conducted by orders from the newly elected Mayors of Dhaka City Corporation North and South. Truly, it was their election pledge and both deserve to be saluted for keeping their promises.
According to reports, the operation was done to pull down 'illegal' billboards. While all appreciations are there for the wonderful initiative, questions keep on rising as to how such huge number of "illegal" bill boards were allowed to be pegged or erected. If the pulled down billboards were really illegal, there must have been a strong gang of men working in the concerned offices - municipalities and Roads & Highways department who give away the permissions and were involved in the erection works. They must be tracked and punished, otherwise the parasites will remain.
About a decade ago, civic society in Kolkata steered a movement against big billboards erected along the avenue in Esplanade, the city centre. These billboards obstructed the scenic view of the green sprawl of Gorer Math and the impeccable Victoria Memorial in the backyard. Within weeks, those hoardings were removed.
It was some years ago in the port city Chittagong where some elites led by the leading newspapers started a campaign to pull down hundreds of billboards. Indeed, the visual panorama of the city dotted by green hills was totally lost due to the widespread use of billboards and hoardings. Unfortunately, the campaign could not sustain and bring about the desired success as the billboard business was regimentally controlled by some politically affiliated strongmen.
The scenario could be no different in the capital city. No matter how much holistic intentions the Mayors would have, removing the 'sky trashes' can be very challenging. From the economic point of view as well, billboards do not actually add extra value as an effective marketing tool. They may only serve as bold informants of various products or services. On another account, billboards and hoardings are big safety hazards as well. On many occasions we have seen several billboards crumbling down in storms and killing people. Besides, academic researches worldwide have clearly underlined billboards and hoardings as safety hazards for drivers.
The mission of cleaning up the skyline of Dhaka and other cities must go ahead. By setting the ball rolling the Mayor shave already irked the long-awaited aspirations of the city dwellers and visitors of seeing Dhaka and other cities free from the massive dominance of aerial advertisement tools like billboards. These cities can look graceful!
The writer is a CSR consultant & broadcaster.
mohicsr@gmail.com