Madras HC has pulled up the authorities for erection of digital banners

Chennai: The Madras HC has pulled up the authorities for erection of digital banners along the ‘hoarding-free zone’ from Kathipara to Pallavaram, in violation of the September 2006 order of the court. In September 2006, a bench of the then chief justice A. P. Shah and Justice K. Chandru ruled that Kathipara-Pallavaram stretch on GST Road (NH-45) has been categorized as hoardings-free zone and that local bodies, including the Cantonment Board, had no power and jurisdiction to permit hoardings in violation of the GO governing the matter. The bench had pointed out that the GO had taken into account the Aircraft Act and Rules, apart from public demand and long-time complaints of pilots.

Despite this, a large number of digital banners and hoardings were set up on the stretch in the recent past thanks after permissions given by the then executive officer of the Cantonment Board. Noticing this, social activist Traffic Ramaswamy filed the current PIL demanding immediate removal of the structures.

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T S Sivagnanam, referring to removal orders passed by the highways department and other authorities and subsequent writ petitions questioning the removals, said, “It shows the government authorities are conscious and aware of the illegality perpetrated from the licences granted by the Cantonment board’s executive officer, and are taking corrective steps. Even the Cantonment Board, realizing its illegality, has cancelled the licences.”

The cancellation orders were already communicated to the National Highways Authority of India and engineer in-charge of construction and maintenance of city roads, on July 2, the judges said. While a number of hoardings have already been removed, some of them are surviving on account of status quo orders passed by the court.