This is the time of elections. Campaign hoardings are ruling the roost. They are just ubiquitous, you find them everywhere. They look pretty attractive. At places, they look unavoidable. It is when they are hoisted at important traffic junctions or speeding highways that accidents occur. Then the hoardings do not look all that attractive.
Visual pollution is wreaking havoc on the landscape of the Indian mainland. There are points at the Srinagar-Jammu highway where one just cannot look at the countryside because these hoardings block the view. These hoardings come in all shapes, and sizes, have varied content on them, and carry images of all prominent people in society like doctors, politicians, news anchors, actors, and religious preachers. In the west, there are specific zones on the highway where one is allowed to post an advertisement banner or hoarding. You just cannot hoist them anywhere. And this place is fully scrutinized to ensure it does not cause traffic jams or accidents. In third-world countries, we find hoardings everywhere and anywhere.
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One study needs to be done that out of the hundreds of accidents happening on our highways how many have occurred due to these hoardings? And how many traffic snarls are triggered by a scantily clad actress on these hoardings?
Our countryside is beautiful. While we drive on our highways we have a right to see our countryside the way we want to. We deserve an unimpeded view of the meadows, mountains, and valleys. Let these people who erect hoardings at the drop of a hat be guided towards some other medium of advertisement.
Visual pollution is a curse on the natural landscape. Unless erecting a hoarding is as important as breathing oxygen it simply should not be there.
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