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PIL in HC seeking ban on illegal hoardings, flexes
A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the High Court seeking directions to the BBMP to take action against unauthorised hoarding and flexes and impose fines to deter the violators.
The petitioner, Sai Datta, a resident of Banashankari, contended that the Palike is tapping just 1.5 per cent of the potential revenue from advertisement hoardings as an advertisement mafia, in connivance with a few BBMP officials and elected representatives, is at work.
Quoting BBMP Assistant Commissioner K Mathai that the Palike has lost Rs 2,000 crore of advertisement revenue, the petitioner argued that unauthorised advertisement hoardings are being erected on either side of the roads in the City and that the zonal commissioners have failed to collect penalty from the violators or remove illegal hoardings.
The petitioner said that the zonal commissioners are empowered to remove advertisement material, erected or hung, for over one year. It appears that, the petitioner said, illegal advertisers have obtained stay orders against BBMP and have continued to display illegal ads for number of years and the legal cell of BBMP have failed to get the stay removed for several years.
The numerous flex banners congratulating political leaders and for birthday wishes and various invitations have completely spoilt the beauty of the City. Add to it, the advertisements are not even fetching revenue to the civic agency.
The petitioner has said that there is a total mismanagement of revenue collection by the BBMP and deliberate inaction in collecting the advertisement fee. Section 137 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, which talks about fee in respect to jatras, urus etc enables BBMP authorities to take appropriate action, but BBMP has kept circulars in cold storage and no concrete action has been taken to address the issue.
The petitioner has sought the CBI inquiry into the illegal advertisers-official nexus and to ban all flexes and unauthorised advertisement hoarding.
The petitioner, Sai Datta, a resident of Banashankari, contended that the Palike is tapping just 1.5 per cent of the potential revenue from advertisement hoardings as an advertisement mafia, in connivance with a few BBMP officials and elected representatives, is at work.
Quoting BBMP Assistant Commissioner K Mathai that the Palike has lost Rs 2,000 crore of advertisement revenue, the petitioner argued that unauthorised advertisement hoardings are being erected on either side of the roads in the City and that the zonal commissioners have failed to collect penalty from the violators or remove illegal hoardings.
The petitioner said that the zonal commissioners are empowered to remove advertisement material, erected or hung, for over one year. It appears that, the petitioner said, illegal advertisers have obtained stay orders against BBMP and have continued to display illegal ads for number of years and the legal cell of BBMP have failed to get the stay removed for several years.
The numerous flex banners congratulating political leaders and for birthday wishes and various invitations have completely spoilt the beauty of the City. Add to it, the advertisements are not even fetching revenue to the civic agency.
The petitioner has said that there is a total mismanagement of revenue collection by the BBMP and deliberate inaction in collecting the advertisement fee. Section 137 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, which talks about fee in respect to jatras, urus etc enables BBMP authorities to take appropriate action, but BBMP has kept circulars in cold storage and no concrete action has been taken to address the issue.
The petitioner has sought the CBI inquiry into the illegal advertisers-official nexus and to ban all flexes and unauthorised advertisement hoarding.
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(Published 24 December 2015, 20:42 IST)
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