Chandigarh, Aug. 27 -- With the August 31 student council elections approaching, campaigning by various student parties has spilled onto public spaces, with party stickers and posters defacing traffic signs, pedestrian warnings, bus stops, cycle-docking stations and other public property. Several key road-safety signs, including those warning of children crossing, schools ahead and pedestrian crossings, have been covered with stickers in Sectors 10, 11, 26 and 32, raising concerns over public safety. The stickers pasted on public boards are of various student parties including Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), National Students' Union of India (NSUI), Student Organisation of India (SOI), Hindustan Student Association (HSA), Sath, Panjab University Students' Union (PUSU, Gandhi Group of Students' Union (GGSU), Independent Students' Union (ISU), Independent Student Front (ISF), College Student Front (CSF). In addition to littering with party stickers on public roads, student parties have defaced general information boards, cycle docking station boards, bus stops and walls in the name of elections. On Madhya Marg road, heading from PGI chowk, one can barely see speed limit, no parking, pedestrian crossing signs. In Sector 32, near Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College (GGDSD) college, ISF has defaced signboards carrying information of school ahead, children and pedestrian crossing. Some signboards couldn't be interpreted due to posters all over. The road near SD college remains busy due to government and convent schools nearby, and election rush. Maximum posters in Sector 32 weren't even of contesting candidates but of ISF chairman Angad Baidwan and party president Sehaj Zaildar. ABVP, Sanatan Dharma College Union (SDCU) party stickers were also seen, defacing public property in Sector 32. In Sector 11, on Madhya Marg, which has two colleges i.e. Post Graduate Government College and Post Graduate Government College for Girls ) PGGCG-11), cycle docking station boards for which municipal corporation (MC) charge money to put advertisements, have been defaced with various party stickers, nearby bus stop also had posters of NSUI candidates of Panjab University, HSA, ABVP SOI, Himachal Students Union (HIMSU) and independent candidate posters on it. Some traffic signs couldn't be deciphered due to posters' coverage on it. In Sector 10 near DAV college, pedestrian crossing, speed limit, cycle docking station, electricity sub station were defaced by HSA, SOPU, Sath and SOI party stickers. GGSU, NSUI, INSO, ABVP had defaced the area in front of PGGCG-11 in addition to other places. On reaching out to student leaders, all feigned ignorance on the matter, saying the posters haven't been pasted by them but by rival parties or their known, some even said that everyone does that and it is not just their party. ISF party chairman Angad Baidwan said "The posters were not put by me but by a friend. I had told them not to do so. We will get it removed." Presidential candidate from SOI party in DAV college, Sector 10, Harshdeep Singh Sidhu said "The posters haven't necessarily put by us, it could be a rival party. We are taking active action on it and will get it removed." Presidential candidate from HSA party in PGGC-11, Raghav Vasuja said "We will see and get the posters removed." Despite excessive defacement, no action has been taken by police or the MC regarding defacement of public property. On contacting, concerned SHOs having charge of Sector 32, Sector 10 and Sector 26, all said the same thing "Nothing has come to our notice so far, will take action if we receive any complaint." MC commissioner Amit Kumar said, "MC issues challans from time to time for property defacement, wherever reports are received, strict action is taken."...