The High Court on Wednesday directed all local bodies to take action against various types of illegal hoardings that do not have QR codes. The court also emphasized that the action must be strictly implemented and not remain only on paper.
Taking note of the widespread illegal political hoardings being put up ahead of the upcoming local self-government elections, the bench of Justice Revati Mohite-Dere and Justice Sandesh Patil issued these orders. The court also indicated that a special drive should be conducted to remove illegal hoardings during the election period.
Meanwhile, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) was once again strongly criticised by the court for failing to present details on how many cases were filed and how much penalty was recovered in connection with illegal hoardings. Although hoardings on road dividers are strictly prohibited, the petitioners’ lawyers Uday Warunjikar and Sagar Joshi pointed out that such hoardings were being erected openly in Mumbai and Thane. The court took note of this and reprimanded the TMC specifically.
The court questioned: “Do municipal officials not see the illegal hoardings that are clearly visible? How can officers turn a blind eye to such violations?” It further ordered all municipal corporations to remove illegal hoardings that do not have QR codes.
Earlier, TMC’s lawyer Mandar Apte claimed that notices had been issued to those putting up illegal or non-compliant hoardings and that an affidavit detailing action taken had been submitted to the court. However, the court expressed dissatisfaction with the corporation’s overall response.
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