Will corporation be able to rein in illegal hoardings?

Chennai: The Chennai corporation is currently in the process of identifying locations in the city to set up hoardings which can help maximise the local body’s revenue.  However, the city’s fight against illegal hoardings is likely to remain a bigger, unaddressed issue though corporation officials say they are trying to right the wrongs.

On Monday, the minister for municipal administration and water supply, S.P. Velumani, tabled a bill in the Assembly to amend Section 326 of the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act.

The amendment would return the power to issue permits for hoardings back into the hands of the corporation commissioner. The commissioner has been given the power again after nearly 12 years, when during the previous AIADMK regime, it was decided to grant the permit power to Chennai collector.

However, after the corporation limits expanded in 2011, three district collectorates were vested with powers to issue permits to erect hoardings, digital banners and posters - Tiruvallur, Chennai and Kancheepuram.

“The amendment will help the commissioner to regulate and monitor the number of hoardings in Chennai city limits and also bring uniformity to the process,” the minister said. 

Corporation officials too pointed out that the permit issuing process will now be simplified and at the end of the survey to identify spots, the corporation will have a strategy to earn extra income.

However, despite the exchange of power between departments, monitoring, and indeed, regulating the sprouting of illegal hoardings has been a crisis for the official concerned.

Though there is much satisfaction in corporation circles due to the amendment, a few questions remain unanswered.

According to the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Licensing Hoardings and Levy and Collection of Advertisement Tax Rules, 2003, size of a hoarding is restricted to 24 feet by 12 feet. But, a look around the city would give the idea that there are plenty of hoardings which far exceed this prescription.

Rules also state that hoardings cannot be permitted across a footpath. However, this is violated by political parties. Yet another problem for Chennai corporation is that of illegal hoardings.

Though the Madras high court has banned illegal hoardings and the Supreme Court upheld the same in 2008, the illegal obstructions can still be found in abundance. Though officials maintain that the collectorates have not permitted installation of hoardings due to the ban, Chennai collectorate had in 2012 asked the corporation to remove around 4,000 illegal hoardings.

“Occasionally, permissions are granted to keep temporary hoardings. Sometimes, these hoardings stayed beyond the period it was allowed for,” said an official. Earlier, two NOCs, from the corporation and the traffic police, had to be obtained for setting up a temporary hoarding. With the amendment, at least one NOC could be struck off the list.

Corporation officials have also had boundary disputes with authorities like the Railways and Cantonment Board on  hoardings.  But, those disputes have been laid to rest. “The railways have categorically stated that Chennai corporation or other state agencies cannot challenge its authority on putting up hoardings on land that it owns,” said an official.

“The same goes for Cantonment area. It is recognised as a local body and so hoardings in St Thomas Mount cantonment area will be issued permits by the cantonment executive officer,” the official added.