Illegal hoardings come up ahead of Coimbatore mayoral poll
While some have been brought down, the authorities have turned a blind eye to others
By : gaurango banerji
Update: 2014-09-10 03:22 GMT
Coimbatore: With the mayoral elections round the corner, illegal hoardings seem to be sprouting up everywhere. With the model code of conduct being grossly violated, complaints are pouring in seeking the removal of the hoardings. While some have been brought down, the authorities have turned a blind eye to others.
Manoj Arun, a civic activist in the city, says that people don't follow rules before putting up banners across the city. "If anyone wishes to display a banner, he or she would first get a no-objection certificate (NoC) from the deputy commissioner of police traffic, Coimbatore, who then suggests places where these banners may be displayed. The applicant should get the approval of the town planning department after paying a fee."
Manoj had recently found that the rate charged to put up a banner is around Rs 250 irrespective of the spot and the size of the banner. It was thus difficult to differentiate between a legal banner and an illegal one. He had, therefore, suggested to collector Archana Patnaik that the receipt numbers of the fee paid be displayed on the banner.
He added that there were parties that get permission for five banners and put up 50, causing a loss to the government. Recently, after CM J. Jayalalithaa announced projects worth Rs 2,378 crore for Coimbatore, banners were erected across the city.
Manoj filed a complaint with the election cell at the Coimbatore corporation and found that many were removed upon receiving the complaint; but others remain. The town planning department is short-staffed.
"There are many organisations, like Co-optex, who have put up banners legally, and the political parties simply follow them," said K. Durairaj, who had contested the 2011 Assembly elections in Coimbatore North constituency. "Banners shouldn't be erected near temples, nor in front of trees and statues," he said.
Corporation commissioner S, Ganesh told DC that the civic body had set up five teams that were working round-the-clock to remove the banners. He clarified that there were no flat rates for banners; the rates were calculated on a square foot basis.