Who to blame for these structures?

CHENNAI: Singara Chennai 2.0 is plagued by many infrastructural problems including bad roads, water-logging, traffic chaos etc., Having been used to decades of an inefficient administration, denizens shrug away these challenges.

However, illegal hoardings and banners dotting the main roads across the city and even the Highways, often lead to fatal accidents, as the entities that install them compromise on quality. This causes them to break away from the structure and fall on unsuspecting walkers and commuters. Additionally, such structures blow a big hole in the Corporation’s purse strings.

Legal intervention

The gravity of the situation is such that last month, the Madras High Court, based on a batch of petitions filed by several entities accusing the officials of inaction against illegal flex boards and hoardings, had instructed the State government and local bodies to file an affidavit by November 7. It asked the government to produce a list of all the prevention measures taken to prevent such installations, which, sometimes, cause road accidents leading to fatalities.

Though the matter has reached the HC, the Greater Chennai Corporation has been unable to control the menace in the city. Illegal hoardings kept at bus shelters, foot-over-bridges and roads continue to be a nightmare for the public. At least Rs 400-500 crore revenue loss is being faced by the GCC annually due to the unauthorised hoardings placed in public places.

Several orders and warnings from the Madras High Court have been given to political parties and their supporters, and yet they still come up. In 2017, the Madras HC issued a ban on all kinds of hoardings, banners and advertisements which inconvenience the public and cause accidents. After this, they were removed by the civic body authorities.

‘Rules on paper only’

When political parties and private entities approach the civic body for permission to install banners to make announcements, and also for birthdays and weddings, authorities do not always grant them. There are procedures and rules to follow, which irks the former. “After the tragic incident of a 23-yearold techie who died after a banner fell on her, the DMK party was supportive of the issue. But soon after they came to power, the rules were compromised,” fumes Seenu Sethuraman, a resident of Madipakkam. “The local administration makes a show of removing these banners especially on GST Road, Pallikaranai, Madhuravoyal and Pallavaram but within a day or so, they’re back up again.”

Accusing the civic authorities of ignoring the rules for government events and allowing banners to be installed on main roads, another resident said: “If the rules are given for the common people, it should be followed by the government too. The main issue in such cases is political interference.”

The GCC recently removed all the hoardings placed at the bus shelters in Saidapet and Ekkattuthangal but, within a few days another hoarding had taken its place. “Due to political pressure, no action was taken by the authorities on the entity,” claims another resident.

Licensing, damage fee

After the HC’s ban, private companies were unable to publicise their events and products. So, they went back to court and got a stay order on it, and then approached the Corporation for a licence fee.

In April 2023, a rule was implemented that companies and entities must procure a licence from the local body, participate in a tender process, based on which ad hoardings would be permitted.

So far, the Corporation has identified around 600 illegal hoardings in the city. Respective companies were contacted and asked to pay a fine and damage fee. Apart from 200 hoardings, which will be removed by the Corporation, most companies have paid the penalty.

“Many areas in the city keep banners for weddings, engagements, birthday parties, funerals, etc., with no regard for public safety. Upon a complaint, the police and officials from the city corporation, quickly remove them. However, banners placed for political events are ignored. The size of these banners is huge when the Corporation organises events like Makkalai Thedi Mayor, or conducts medical camps etc.,” said D Balaji, a resident of Adyar, urging the court to take suo moto cognizance of this and file criminal proceedings against the civic body. “This would be a warning to anyone in power and also ensure the public follows the rule of the law,” he added.

Similarly, it’s now common to see banners installed in the bus stands and main roads at Jothi Nagar, Sathyamurthy Nagar, and Wimco Nagar advertising land sales.

“The only way this would have been possible is if the civic body officials had taken a bribe from the respective property owners and realtors.,” alleged Sree Venkat, a resident of Ernavoor. “There’s definitely the risk of them falling on someone as the banners are placed on an iron road. This is dangerous for a motorist or a pedestrian.” Though it’s heartening to see the Corporation officials taking steps to remove illegal hoardings and penalise companies with a hefty fine, activists opine that similar action must be taken against those who print them.

Removed so far...

When contacted, a senior corporation official stated that the GCC has planned to permit advertorial hoardings in 600 bus shelters in the city.

“We’ve received 500 applications from private companies and yet to decide on the final count,” added the official.

Pointing to the monthly review meeting on the removal of hoardings in the city, the official explained that in the last 45 days, 200 hoardings were removed and a penalty of Rs 25 lakh was collected. “Similarly, at least 100-120 banners were cleared in the last six months from various political events and family functions in the city. We’ve instructed private companies to follow regulations and not install hoardings near educational institutions and hospitals. Only one board is permitted, and not the double-deckers,” he stated.

The Corporation spends Rs 25,000 to Rs 55,000 to remove these illegal structures in the capital city. It faces a revenue loss of at least Rs 400-500 crore/year due to the unauthorised hoardings in public places. Had the private companies received their licenses and protocol from the civic body, the latter would have earned over Rs 500 crore in revenue. The only way this would have been possible is if the civic body officials had taken a bribe from the respective property owners and realtors — Sree Venkat, resident of Ernavoor