Chennai: The Madras high court on Wednesday said if the menace of erection of unauthorised hoardings is not stopped, it will have no option but to appoint a court committee to take over the task and monitor the same.
Passing further interim orders on a batch of petitions relating to hoardings, a Division Bench comprising the Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R.Mahadevan said, “We must express our disappointment that repeatedly new hoardings keep coming up even after orders have been passed. Does it not show that the authorities concerned appear to be either devoid of machinery to check this or doubt is created on their intent. We have made it clear that if this menace is not stopped, we will have no option but to appoint a court committee to take over the task and monitor the same, as we are hardly expected to verify each of the hoardings”.
Responding to this, Additional advocate general Manishankar assured the court this occasion would not arise and that corrective action would be taken and steps taken would be enunciated in the next status report.
To simplify the system, the Bench said the authorities should explore as to how a single window clearance can be worked out for the purpose of grant of license so that the complainants/people should not be made to run from pillar to post to stop the violations.
Taking a serious view of hoardings erected on government property, the Bench said, “It is shocking to note that a huge hoarding is on the Government Eco Park, near Chetpet bridge. Additional advocate general states that this cannot be with license. If so, we would like to know how this cropped up. It shows in fact, even one of the trees has been chopped for the benefit of this hoarding. The same is the position of another hoarding at the Tamil Nadu Agriculture Laboratory, Kilpauk, near Chetpet bridge, where all that happened is that the hoarding has been rolled up. Similar is the position with the Tamil Nadu Aquaculture Laboratory building opposite Ega Theatre. Considering the number of these violations, we direct the director of fisheries who is in-charge of Tamil Nadu Aquaculture Laboratory, to remain personally present in court on the next hearing date”.
Similarly, noticing the violations in respect of hoardings on Southern Railway property, the Bench directed the senior divisional commercial manager, Southern Railway, to be personally present in the court on August 29.
