Karnataka HC allows use of hoardings for Covid-19 awareness

The High Court of Karnataka has allowed the BBMP to put up hoardings with Covid-19 awareness messages on them but made it clear that there should not be any commercial endorsement on them.

A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Alok Aradhe on Wednesday gave the permission after BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar filed an affidavit.

The BBMP chief stated that the hoardings would be put up to raise awareness among the public about the safety measures to check the spread of Covid-19. He also provided a list of the places where the hoardings will be erected.

In an interim order in November 2019, the court had directed the BBMP to remove all illegal hoardings from the city and prosecute the violators under the Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1981. The order had come on a PIL petition on the use of plastic and illegal hoardings in the city.

The PIL petitioner specified that the BBMP should not be allowed to use plastic or flex in the hoardings in view of the court's directions of November 2019.

"Permission is granted subject to conditions that on the hoardings permitted by this court, no person will be allowed to advertise any product or any other item and all the hoardings displayed under the permission of the court will contain no other information except those required for spreading awareness and giving requisite information to the public to prevent spread of the virus," the court stated.

Further, the bench directed the BBMP to widely publicise through these hoardings the availability of Covid-19 testing centres and the availability of hospital beds. The BBMP stated that it intended to spend Rs 49.5 crore from its budget for 2020-21 on the hoardings.

"This statement does not mean that the entire amount will be spent for display of hoardings. We hope and trust that a reasonable amount out of the amount reserved will be spent by the BBMP. It is obvious that display of hoardings will be for a limited period of time. After the virus is brought under control, the BBMP will remove the hoardings within a reasonable time," the court said.