In order to conserve electricity, state electricity boards have passed orders like “No Billboards should be lit at Night.” That this “conservation” helps the politically powerful lobbies steal the remaining power is another issue. Nevermind. These orders have an insidious effect on our environment: Advertisers have installed ad-hoc diesel generators of their own to power these billboards. These generators create a racket through the night and spew noxious black fumes.
I really can’t blame the billboard owners. The state has failed them and business must must go on.
These photos from India’s boom town Gurgaon show the ugliness that often gets hidden by the glitzy malls and shiny glass buildings.
Those hoardings pollute the skyline, so there’s a certain hideous synchronization here.