PANAJI
The Bombay High Court at Goa has directed the local bodies -- panchayats and municipalities -- to dispose of appeals filed against their orders to remove billboards and hoardings that have been set up illegally and which serve as an eyesore and distraction within a period of four weeks.
The High Court was hearing a suo motu petition that was initiated way back in the year 2007 concerning the mushrooming of illegal billboards that remains a menace despite the High Court taking up the matter.
When the matter came up for hearing, the Corporation of the City of Panaji that has also been made a respondent in the case told the court that it has issued demolition notices to 60 illegal billboards and will have them removed within a period of four weeks.
In October last year, the High Court had directed the the state government, Corporation of the city of Panaji,, municipalities, panchayats, local authorities and the National Highway Authority to place on record the current status of all the existing hoardings in their respective jurisdiction with appropriate details as to which of these hoardings are authorised and complying with the regulations with specific remarks that although permitted they are not in any manner a public nuisance
Earlier the High Court noted how authorities across all levels had abdicated their responsibility for monitoring the hoardings.
“Unless such a concrete mechanism is available, the concerns raised in the present proceedings would never come to an end and in fact the situation is likely to get worse,” the High Court noted.
“It is impossible to find out a street in Panaji which is not dominated by hoardings making the life of the residents miserable We may observe that in one of the orders passed in the present proceedings this Court has raised serious concern in regard to hoardings which are by the side of the river and which are likely to attract the attention of the drivers of the vehicles plying on the three important bridges connecting Panaji to Porvorim. This is certainly a matter of serious concern,” the Amicus Curiae, Adv Lotlikar told the High Court.
“Action to be taken by the authorities on illegal hoardings which ought to be a continuous exercise. There cannot be any excuse on the part of any of the authorities for not taking an action to remove illegal hoardings and in attending to complaints received on any objectionable hoardings irrespective of the fact that the hoardings purportedly have a permission, when the complaint is of a public nuisance. Accountability to be fixed to implement Rules and Regulations and the orders passed by this Court in regard to the removal of illegal hoardings,” the HIgh Court observed.
“A permanent mechanism to be put in place whereby routinely all the public streets, roads, and highways are monitored by officers or their representatives in their respective jurisdiction and for any inaction in that regard accountability is fixed. As a consequence of such a mechanism, availability of up-to-date information in relation to all categories of hoardings, their locations, information on action taken on illegal hoardings with the dates of such actions and all details thereof, on the date of such information is sought for; the details of the owners of the structure and the agencies undertaking advertisements. Information in regard to the agencies applying for permission for advertisement, a database of which is to be maintained to be informed to the Court as and when called for,” the High Court had said last year.
