Illegal campaign posters set off alarm bells as NMC receives several plaints

 

 

 

A single poster tied to a traffic signal is enough to trigger a chain reaction across the city’s election machinery. Acting through the Model Code of Conduct, Monitoring Committee by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has put in place a round-the-clock vigilance system to enforce the Model Code of Conduct during the civic election process. This mechanism revolves around a 24/7 call centre that operates as the central command point for complaints, functioning continuously in three shifts. Officials said this uninterrupted schedule ensures that no violation, regardless of the hour, goes unnoticed or unattended.

 

The effectiveness of this system was recently visible on Uday Nagar Road in Hanuman Nagar, Zone 3, where a ‘Happy Birthday’ poster of Deepak Kapse was found fixed to a traffic light pole. In another instance at the same location, a Bharatiya Janata Party symbol was displayed on an electric pole and was subsequently removed. Similarly, a poster congratulating Kanthiram Shende on receiving a Congress Party ticket was put up and later resolved by civic teams. Officials explained that each complaint received at the call centre follows a strict protocol. Complainants are asked to provide their zone number, prabhag number, and exact location, after which the information is immediately relayed to the concerned field officer.

 

The officer is dispatched to the site, and an action-taken report is required within 24 hours. Illegal hoardings and banners have emerged as the most frequent violations, particularly those installed without permission on private or public property. Dedicated teams remove such material on site and upload photographic and video evidence of the action to an internal WhatsApp monitoring group.

 

The surveillance network also extends to monitoring public nuisance, including vigilance against the distribution of liquor or cash. Officials, however, flagged a persistent obstacle in enforcement. An NMC official said many complainants decline to share their names or mobile numbers. While acknowledging concerns over privacy, the official noted that the absence of contact details hampers follow-up. In one case, a complaint regarding illegal posters could not be acted upon because the team was unable to identify the exact location and had no way to contact the complainant for clarification.