Do hoardings create visual pollution? In Kolkata, yes. Certainly not in other big cities, especially in western countries.
One still doesn’t understand the norm of billboards in Kolkata. At major crossings in the city there are billboards everywhere, notably those that adorn the buildings. Is it that the building owners only earn from them, or is it that the KMC (Kolkata Municipal Corporation) too earns a slice?
Whatever it is, more often than not they represent an ugly sighting. Sometime back at a certain patch on EM Bypass there was a series of billboards that light up in the evenings with the help of noisy generators.
The environmentalists complained that the combination of light and sound was wreaking havoc on birds that could not rest in peace once daylight was gone. Because of their furor many of those hoardings were later removed.
But hoardings and billboards can indeed be soothing to eyes if planned correctly as can be seen in western cities. There even public transport like buses sport giant ads that are aesthetically designed. If it is possible there then why not in Kolkata?
Here are 3 images of hoardings at important places in the city.
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