HMDA erases school names on PVNR pillars

Rajendranagar: Acting tough against publicity attempt made under the guise of corporate social responsibility, the HMDA authorities have removed all the names of schools written on the ramp pillars under PVNR Expressway Attapur.

As part of CSR initiative, the GHMC Rajendranagar has allowed some school managements to apply artwork on pillars to the ramp under PVNR Expressway that led to a tussle among the local school managements.

It is said that the GHMC Rajendranagar permitted a local school under this initiative to take up art work on the ramp pillars so as to promote an aesthetic ambience for the onlookers and the commuters passing through the way.

Subsequently, some of the pillars were draped in artwork while highlighting school's name in bold letters. Though the artwork is appealing and soothing to the eyes of the commuters passing through the lane, the school names painted on all the pillars otherwise raised many an eyebrow and the people perceive it as a stark example of publicity attempt in the name of corporate social responsibility.

Moreover, the idea of school name being written in a bold letters has prompted a few more institutions to come up with a similar demand for approvals from the GHMC. This led to a tussle among local school managements who are finding it a lucrative campaign to promote their schools on art work on the ramp pillars under the CSR programmes.

According to official sources, the tussle among school managements has attracted the attention of HMDA authorities to the issue. Only a few months earlier HMDA authorities claiming authority over the ramp pillars removed the school names written on a few pillars, citing the reason that the paintings were taken up without their consent.

But to the surprise of the onlookers, a school name re-appeared on the pillars a few weeks later, presumably because of by the school management who are rightfully claiming to have all pre-requisite approvals to carry out the work from GHMC. This has widened the rift among the local school managements who have start pursuing their case against one other before the authorities.

Now again the HMDA authorities acted against defiance and removed the names of schools from almost all the pillars. It is said that HMDA authorities have warned managements earlier to avoid using school names on the pillars. However, when the situation went out of control and finding no way out, the authorities acted and removed all the school names written amidst the artwork on the pillars.

"It is good to see the authorities have removed all the school names from the pillars since it is sparking competition among the school managements to stake claims to rights over the ramp pillars and use them to gain publicity by advertising their school names on the government property," said Mohd Zaheeruddin, a local social activist.