Kochi: Over
35 illegal bunk shops and nearly 100 unauthorised billboards were
removed from various parts of the city in a drive by the town planning
and revenue departments of the city corporation  on Monday.

As
many as 20 shops were cleared in the central city area, including
Shanmugham Road, Canon Shed Road, Market Road, Hospital Road,  Park
Avenue, near Durbar Hall Ground and Ramavarma Club. 
In the Vyttila
zone, 15 wayside bunk shops were cleared from Subhash Chandra Bose Road,
Kaloor- Kadavanthra Road and Salim Rajan Road.

“The corporation
does not have a clear picture about the number of unauthorised bunk
shops and billboards in the city. We haven’t given any prior notice to
the shop owners as all the shops removed are illegal.

However,
notice has been served to licensed shop owners to remove the illegal
structures they have  placed outside them,” said K.J Sohan, chairman of
the town planning committee.
The drive followed  a decision of the
corporation council meeting on Saturday to remove illegal wayside shops
and billboards in the city.