The Hindu             21.11.2013

Civic body likely to take over banners

Following the proposal sent by the Chennai Collectorate to transfer powers of permitting banners to Chennai Corporation, the civic body will send a proposal to amend the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act shortly. If the State government approves this proposal, residents may not have to get permission from the Chennai Collectorate for erecting such banners. The Corporation Commissioner will have powers to permit banners under the amended Act.

“Earlier, the power was with Corporation Commissioner. The Act was amended 10 years ago to transfer powers to Collector. Now, the State government has to take a decision,” said an official of Chennai Corporation.

The lack of manpower has been a hurdle for the Chennai Collectorate to regulate banners in the city. Under the existing procedure, the Collectorate in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur issued permission to erect temporary banners after no-objection certificates were issued by the Chennai Corporation and other government agencies.

The District Collectorate, with the assistance of the Chennai Corporation, had recently scaled up operations against hoardings and digital banners across the city. A drive to remove them in areas such as Egmore, Triplicane, Mylapore, Nungambakkam, Alandur and Sholinganallur were carried out a few weeks ago.

Officials from the taluk monitoring committees have also been stressing the need for criminal action against persons who erect banners illegally. Most of the illegal banners carry advertisements of private enterprises, including those of cinemas, food products, motor vehicles and jewellers.

A few months ago, the Madras High Court directed the collector to remove all illegal hoardings, digital banners, and take necessary action to penalise those who had contravened the rules and regulations under the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act.