Hoardings Everywhere
By now most Thaneites who step outdoors are aware of the birthdays of politicians and municipal Corporators, thanks to the hoardings, which are regularly come up all over the city, most importantly around Thane railway station. In fact, a sea of hoardings swamps the neighbourhood of Thane. Be it the coaching classes, FMCG companies, mobile phone firms, politicians et al everyone wanting to catch the evasive eyeball. It’s very likely that hoardings put up by politicians are illegal. Which means they do not pay a single paise to the Thane Municipal Corporation. I am unable to understand why the authorities have allowed this to happen. Why the city of Mumbai is occasionally cleaned of illegal hoardings why Thane, the city of future continue to live in a mofussil culture.
If birthdays were the only occasional when you were confronted by the faces of politicans peeping out of the vinyl hoardings you would have not bothered much. But then there occasions like Dussehra, Diwali, Idd and New Year too when these ‘famous faces’ of Thane are not willing to take chances that you forget them. And thrust their faces on the citizens. Whether you like it or not. Hoardings have sprung up around Thane railway station with faces of politicians of all colours, NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena wanting that you receive their “Diwali’s Shubhkamna”. One has to admit that Jitendra Awhad of NCP leaves everyone far behind. His party men are the most prolific when it comes to wishing their leader for his contribution—minor or major! Till very recently a huge hoardings which was present for nearly two years informed viewers of Amarnath Yatra with faces of Shiv Sena’s pantheon on it. The place has now being taken over by a paid hoarding.
I wonder if these politicians who install these hoardings had used the same money for a mundane purpose of filling the potholes on the roads. By doing this they would have received much applause and credit. But then politicians are not credited with such noble thoughts.
