Terming them as an eyesore, Sidhu proceeded to remove them, starting with the hoardings outside Hall Gate, featuring him. Sidhu stressed the need to formulate an advertising policy for the state, demanding a special strategy for the holy city.

At least six hoardings outside Hall Gate bearing Sidhu’s pictures were removed in the presence of the MP. “As per norms, such advertising should be done on uni-poles, but the rules are being flouted across the state,” he said. When asked how he had remembered the hoardings which had been dotting the city for several years, Sidhu said his conscience pricked him when he saw the hoardings around Golden Temple.

“The Golden Temple and the Durgiana Temple are our religious heritage, and we must preserve their sanctity,” he stressed. He added that daily, thousands of devotees visited the holy city, and many found the hoardings jarring.

Sidhu said that if at all any display has to be there, it should be that of religious pictures, with inspirational messages on them. He called for the framing of an advertising policy for the state, and stressed on a special policy for Amritsar, which is an important tourist destination from the religious and historical point of view.