Bogra's billboards a political gallery, business neglected
Members of the Bogra business community wishing to advertise their products and services need to think twice before renting a billboard. At least 22 billboards surrounding the town's Shatmatha area and in other locations have been grabbed by political party men and influential people. Marketing companies that rely on leasing the billboards for income are left with few realistic options, other than watching their income deteriorate.
To any casual observer, Shatmatha has almost become a gallery of party leader portraits, from both Awami League and the BNP along with others. Offering slight variety, one billboard has been covered with a banner for a local football tournament organised by Sramic League leaders in the name of the district's motor workers' union.
Whether it's a political portrait or a sports carnival, the overall effect is the same: Bogra looks like a town that isn't supportive of business.
The same billboards should be advertising BRAC Bank, Parachute Oil, Grameenphone, BCL Supermarket, Otobi Furniture, BSRM and KSRM Cement, RS Steps, BBS Cables, Singer, IDLC, Pran Group, Bcash, Zanzeebd Ice cream and others, with all companies suffering from the usurpation of their advertisements.
Seeking anonymity, some advertising company staff report that nobody from any political party or wing contacted them with respect to renting their billboards and that normally they would need to contact Bogra's mayor with respect to billboard use.
Contacted regarding one of the billboards, the relief and student affairs secretary of Awami League's Shajahanpur upazila unit says they have set a banner over a billboard temporarily and within a very short time it will be removed.
With regard to another billboard, Bogra's transport workers' union president Abdul Latif Mondal could not be reached for comment since his mobile phone remained switched off.
Bogra's municipal Mayor AKM Mahbubur Rahman says advertising companies erect the billboards to rent to various organisations or companies, with fees also due to the municipality for each billboard. He says all responsibility for the billboards lies with the advertising companies.
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