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This picture is indeed misleading having been taken from an angle that gives an impression that the board completely blocks the tower of the building. Anyway, all it needs is shifting of the board to a corner from its present location.

Heritage city. Mysore. Mysooru. Thanks to S. M. Krishna, former Chief Minister, for reminding us of the heritage status of our city and for appointing a Heritage Commissioner, IAS rank, headquartered in Bangalore. Now Venkatesh Machakanur is the Commissioner and in Mysore we have a Deputy Director of Heritage Department J. V. Gayathri, who looks after heritage matters.

Our veteran journalist Krishna Vattam is the Convenor of INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) set up by Rajiv Gandhi when he was the Prime Minister. Vattam is too committed to the cause of heritage, culture and whatever comes under INTACH omnibus. Vattam often expresses his ire whenever vandalism is committed on our heritage buildings and structures.

The latest potshot Vattam had taken was at the City Police. He was simply outraged at the installation of glow sign-boards at all the 22 Police Stations and IGP and SP's office which, according to him, was ugly and ruined the beauty of the heritage buildings with most of the Police Stations being constructed during the days of the Royalty. These boards have been removed since in deference to Vattam's and other heritage freaks' wishes. Fine.

However, a lateral thought on the issue will tell you that these Boards are removed more for the reason that a private telecom company, Vodafone, has supplied them free of cost for the favour of displaying its name in small letters in a corner of the board and less for the reason it ruined the view of the heritage Police Stations. In a few cases, it must have obstructed the view of the Police Station buildings or located at a wrong place as at IGP's and SP's office in Jalapuri or at Lashkar Mohalla. But for these correctable lapses, there was indeed nothing wrong in having those boards.

As the officer who permitted installation of these boards, Bhaskar Rao, the immediate past Police Commissioner, told me in anguish that these Police Stations, the most important public service centres, did not have proper signboards that are visible to our public and tourists who may visit them. While one could manage during day time by enquiring with the passersby or an auto driver, in the night it was indeed a problem, especially for tourists — this is a tourist city we must remember. And the Police Department either did not have funds or initiative to meet this need by putting up good signboards.

Hence, when Vodafone came forward as a sponsor, Bhaskar Rao thought it a good idea just as Kempaiah, former City Police Commissioner and later IGP here, thought on renovating the rundown, dilapidated Police Stations. Many were on the verge of collapse. And some of them were heritage buildings. He did succeed despite derisive, despicable comments from the morality brigade who merely talk but do nothing to solve the problem.

Did these prudes get money from the Government to renovate these dilapidated Police Stations across the city? Kempaiah did it. So today we have Police Stations in this heritage city that we can be proud of. A million thanks to Kempaiah IPS. A people - friendly officer, a real servant of the people of this free country. May his tribe increase among IPS and IAS officers.

That was the same spirit with which Bhaskar Rao ordered these new glow signboards. There was no need to decry him as if he had his own name painted on it. They were meant simply for public information. No need to read more into it.

A blanket removal of these boards is not a wise move. All that is needed is relocation of these boards in some Police Stations and in SP's Office premises. Think about it.

Now consider this. I have been seeing a huge hoarding at Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa Circle (Metropole Circle) with a social message:
"Don't use mobile while driving.
Hotel Vishvothama
Mysore City Traffic Police."

Now it is clear this hoarding was sponsored by a hotel whose name is in the bottom in small letters. Should we remove this also because it is sponsored and hence the Police will be obligated to that hotel and hence may not take action against the hotel if it commits an offence? Too far - fetched. If this is our reasoning, then no donation could ever be given for a good cause and all philanthropy should be considered motivated and, therefore, not morally acceptable.

Think again, please.

K. B. Ganapathy
Editor in Chief
Star of Mysore
Mysore