Hoarding in Question
Nagpur: Nagpur has seen a recent media blitzkrieg regarding projection of hoardings bearing pictures of history-sheeters and local goons flaunting their influence on city’s busy squares. A spate of such instances eventually prompted the Nagpur Police Commissioner SP Yadav to dash a notification to NMC to make no objection certificate a must have document before giving a go ahead to such hoardings.
The order triggered a new debate in the intellectual circles as a big question has emerged out of the said arrangement as to how the civic body would know whom to ask for NOC and whom to spare.
“How can NMC know that this person is goon and must furnish details along with NOC before he can get through with the permission to install hoarding,” quips a citizen who was wary of the goons being displayed in king-sized cutouts at city’s prominent places.
The police move comes after media highlighted how hardened criminal-cum-property dealer Yuvraj Mathankar managed to put up his hoardings in the city. Besides Mathankar, who could be spotted flashing gold chains, bracelets and rings on his birthday on January 1, thrice Maharashtra control of organized crime Act (MCOCA) accused Santosh Ambekar, Shakti Manpiya and others featured in the hoardings. Manpiya was booked in the sensational murder of Sagir Khan at a spot close to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s residence at Trikoni Park.
Gold Rate
07 May 2025
More than half dozen hoardings of Mathankar and his cronies were put up across the city for around a week. Mathankar had put up hoardings in the past too.
CP Yadav said NMC has already been communicated polices’ intention to thwart the persons having criminal records to use the hoardings. “NMC should refer such applications to police department for getting NOC first before the permission is granted,” he said.
A source commented that apart from these goons who may be maintaining low profile and can have their have way without being intercepted. A NMC source said that the civic body has received CP’s intimation but is exploring the modalities of implementing the plan. “How would NMC know whether a person is having criminal past,” asked a senior official.
Nagpur Today View
That the display of illegal and unconstitutional might is completely unjustified but equally impracticable is CP’s order for the compliance of NOC from such goons. Barring a few, Nagpur has hordes of such small time netas having criminal past. Civic body is liable to look for evidences pertaining to his present whereas the criminal aspects can only be looked into by the police. Under such circumstances it is prerogative of police department to issue a list of prominent goons around the city to NMC and update it time to time so that the civic body can have good reference point to get the records right. Just making an appeal and leaving the rest on NMC may not help at all.
