TRS member fined by GHMC for raising unauthorised banner

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has issued a fine of Rs 5,000 against TRS Member R Anand Babu Goud. The member posted a banner on a road signboard in Bowenpally check post near MMR junction, wishing happy birthday to Mynampally Rohith. The latter is TRS Malkajgiri MP Hanmanth Rao.

The Vigilance department issued a challan to Anand Babu on November 26. The officials fined Anand under Section 596 of the GHMC Act. The poster covered the signboard completely and acted as a hindrance to the people plying in that route, said the challan.

GHMC’s Vigilance department on November 18 began a drive to clear all unauthorised and illegal flexes/banner. For a week, the department cleared everything without issuing any penalty. Afterwards, the officials issued penalty on whoever posted unlawful banners.

While speaking to NewsMeter, Viswajeeth Kampati — Director of Vigilance, Enforcement and Disaster Management, GHMC — said, “Since we began this drive we have issued around 4,000 e-challans against illegal banners and have collected around Rs 3 crore as fines.”

Many TRS party members have previously raised such illegal banners. In October, a massive cutout of Serilingampally TRS MLA was installed at Alwyn X roads bus stop, and it was removed after a nearby resident filed a complaint.

Illegal banners have also caused fatal accidents. In September, a 23-year-old Subhashree died after a truck ran over her. She fell on the road when an AIADMK banner hit her.