The Times of India 07.12.2010
Submit sub-panel report on unipoles, MC told
LUDHIANA: Punjab State Human Rights Commission ( PSHRC) has taken a strict note of the complaint filed by a city resident regarding “misleading information provided by the municipal corporation about unipoles on footpaths”. The rights panel has asked MC to submit the report of sub-committee overseeing advertisement poles. The civic body has also been asked what action it has taken on the report.
Arvind Sharma, a local, had alleged that MC officials had been “misguiding the human rights commission”. In the last hearing, MC additional commissioner KP Brar had told the rights commission that mayor Hakam Singh Gyaspura had constituted a sub-committee to check illegal unipoles and so, there was no problem related to these either on city roads or on footpaths. In case of complaints from residents pertaining to these, the sub-committee took action, he had added.
Sharma had claimed in the complaint that the sub-committee was constituted to take action only against illegal unipoles that were causing financial losses to the MC. “But in case of unipoles on footpaths, there is no question of legality or illegality, as footpaths are meant for pedestrians and are not for advertisement boards,” he added. He has sought action against the MC officials for “misleading the rights panel” and that unipoles should be removed immediately from footpaths.
The rights panel has directed MC commissioner AK Sinha and deputy commissioner Rahul Tewari to come for the next hearing of the case on February 7, along with the sub-committee’s report, to prove their claims that they were taking suitable action against unipoles on footpaths. Sharma said footpaths were constructed for the convenience of pedestrians, but the MC allowed installation of hoardings on these, which was “against human rights”.
MC officials allot advertisement poles to advertisers to generate revenue. The MC considers unipoles installed on footpaths as “legal”, as it allots these to private companies for displaying advertisements and claims that these were not creating problems for pedestrians.
