The New Indian Express 30.09.2010
Government to regulate digital banners in city
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government is proposing to enact a new legislation to regulate digital hoardings in the city, the Madras High Court was informed on Wednesday.A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting organised by the Chief Secretary on September 14. It was decided at the meeting that digital banners, being temporary in nature, could be effectively regulated by introducing a new legislation called ‘Special Provisions Governing Digital Banners’ and different set of rules needed to be framed. For this purpose, an amendment to Chapter XII-A of the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act and similar local body Acts should be made. The amendment would be introduced in the forthcoming November session of the Assembly.
The meeting also decided to set up one nodal agency and to simplify the procedure for issuing permission for digital banners.
The meeting was attended by the Secretaries of Home, Municipal Administration and Water Supply and Law, and Chennai Corporation Commissioner and the Chennai District Collector.
The minutes of the meeting were produced before a division bench comprising Justice D Murugesan and Justice V Rajendran on Wednesday, which adjourned the matter till October 20.
Originally, Traffic K R Ramaswamy, a public interest litigant, filed a writ petition to regulate digital hoardings in the city.
A bench passed an order this January 29. As the practice of erecting unauthorised digital banners continued even after the January 29 order, Ramaswamy filed a contempt application to punish the authorities concerned for not effectively curbing digital banners.
The government held the meeting and decided to bring in a new law.
