Bldgs to serve as canvas for tribal art

Ranchi: After the chief minister's office (CMO) and other government buildings served as canvases for Sohrai artists to showcase their aesthetic skills, it is now the turn of commercial buildings in Ranchi to be covered with Sohrai and Kohbar paintings.
Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has initiated a drive to paint the walls of various commercial buildings as part of the swachh mission.
"If you walk around the city, you can find garbage or stains on walls. We want to beautify the city and make it worthy of its status as state capital," said mayor Asha Lakra.
RMC aims to raise the collective awareness of the community to achieve a clean public space. "Apart from tribal art, slogans will also be painted to encourage residents to adopt regular hand-washing habits, spread awareness about open defecation and proper disposal of garbage," Lakra said.
The drive kicked off at Kutchehry Chowk, New Market Chowk and Ratu Road. "One can find advertisements painted on the walls. Also, people are pasting posters without RMC's permission. Once the walls are painted, we will fine anybody who tries to ruin it," said the mayor.
Lakra said the drive was not only launched to promote art and culture. "We have roped in young women and girls from nearby villages to paint the walls. This will be a source of income for them," she added.