Now, saffron billboards to dot roads in UP

LUCKNOW: After painting government buses, electric poles and the secretariat annexe building saffron, the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is all set to raise saffron billboards along public works department roads. Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya has already ordered the installation of billboards in saffron colour.
The energy department has already painted electric poles saffron on the pretext that it will make their identification easier.After this, the estate department has painted secretariat annexe Shastri Bhawan, which houses the CM office, in saffron colour. The transport department has painted buses in saffron and the health department did the same with ambulances.
The latest to join is the public works department (PWD). A senior IAS officer of the PWD department, pleading anonymity, told TOI that the boards with project details would be saffron-coloured and carry pictures of Yogi and Maurya. “Such saffron billboards, with details of project cost and duration, will be raised along roads across the state to ensure transparency,” the officer said. With opposition parties raising objections, Yogi defended the move, saying, “Aag aur suraj ka rang bhi bhagwa hota hai. Kya ise bhi badal dein(The colour of fire and the sun is also saffron. Should we change that also).”
With the BJP storming to power this March, the streets are swarming with people having wrapped saffron scarves around their neck. In markets, there is a craze for saffron scarves, jackets, T-shirts, kurtas and sandals.