When it comes to banner rule, parties pay only lip service
The Hindu
Both ruling and Opposition parties continue to put up banners everywhere
The rules on the erection of banners and cutouts in the Union Territory have been watered down by successive governments over the years, thanks to poor enforcement by local bodies and promises by political parties remaining only lip service. The flagrant violation of the directions of the government banning the erection of cutouts and other graffiti can be seen quite often; particularly the parties which champion the point that no banner should be erected are the first to violate when they come to power. In 2016, the government tweaked the conditions laid down in the Puducherry Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement Act) 2009, which envisaged a blanket ban on erection of banners, flex boards, and hoardings in order to meet the demands from various corners and to bring some revenue to the cash-starved local bodies.A crowd comprising farmers, researchers, professors, students, and horticulture enthusiasts thronged the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru, on Friday for the inaugural ceremony of the Triphal Diversity Show which showcased 300 mango, 100 jackfruit, and 100 banana genotypes in collaboration with ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli.
The State government on Friday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Director-General of Police, Manish Kharbikar of the Economic Offences division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the alleged multi-crore scam in the government-run Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.