705 illegal banners removed, boasts Chennai Corporation; eyewash, allege residents

CHENNAI: Every nook and corner of the city is dotted with flexi hoardings and banners, some of which were installed without official permission. After a hoarding crash in Mumbai killed 16 people in May this year, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) doubled down on its efforts to enforce regulations on unauthorised banners, and removed all illegal hoardings at night.

According to the GCC, 705 unauthorised hoardings have been removed in the city from May to August. Of which, 117 were removed in the last two months. At least 159 illegal hoardings are yet to be removed.

In 2017, the Madras High Court had issued an order to ban all kinds of hoardings, banners and advertisements that inconvenience the public and cause accidents. After this, private companies that were unable to get licenses from the Corporation got a stay order against the order. In April 2023, a rule was implemented that only those with a licence from the local body would be permitted to place advertorial hoardings in the city, for which a tender would be floated.

Banners and flex by real estate companies have become a perennial issue, as they are often found at bus stands and main roads. Residents lamented over the lack of safety protocols while installing them.

Though the Madras HC has given several orders and warnings to political parties and supporters not to install hoardings, political banners are always spotted near Sir Theagaraya College Metro station and Ekkattuthangal Metro station. Banners are placed on the platform, forcing pedestrians to walk on the main road.

“The GCC’s sudden drive is an eye wash. Stricter enforcement of rules would happen only when there is mishap reported in the city or anywhere in the country,” fumed Ramesh Ramadoss, a resident and civic activist at Old Washermenpet. “Unauthorised political banners are common in north Chennai. Whenever a complaint is raised to the local body, only temporary measures are taken, or they ask us to wait until the party’s programme is over to remove it.”

Several interior roads and streets are filled with banners of family and temple functions – most of them were installed sans permission from the civic body. Though complaints were raised to the concerned department along with the proof, there have been no steps taken by the authorities.

“We often spot political banners on the footpaths and main roads. This is a safety risk, especially when it rains. Though many banner-related fatalities are reported, the State government has not taken any effective steps to rectify it,” said Y Paneerselvam, a commuter at Saidapet. “Recently, a banner was installed on the footpath in the area, leaving no space for pedestrians. This is why you find a lot of pedestrians on the main roads, even on busy bus-route roads.”

For over three months, the GCC has intensified the removal of unauthorised banners across the city. “We do a special watch near roads, and petrol bunks. Illegal banners are removed even based on complaints received from the public through petitions and social media platforms,” said Sukumar Chitti Babu, city revenue officer.

Though the Corporation has been able to control the number of illegal banners, rules flouted by private companies continue to be a challenge. The highest number of illegal hoardings – 128 – was removed in Teynampet (Zone 9) followed by 120 in Kodambakkam (Zone 10).

N Vishwanathan, zonal officer of Tondiarpet (Zone 4), told DT Next: “Corporation Commissioner Kumaragurubaran had instructed us to remove garbage, debris and abandoned vehicles dumped on the bus route roads. As a part of the drive, we also removed illegal banners on the road. Over 200 banners were removed in the last few months.”

Similarly, 135 unauthorised banners were removed in Teynampet (Zone 9) in the last six months. A senior official with the revenue department stated that the zonal level officials were instructed to remove all illegal banners on the bus route roads and interior roads.

It’s noteworthy that the city Corporation officials in the zonal level remove unauthorised banners but do not impose any penalty on the concerned individuals.