Bombay HC asks state and BMC to take steps against illegal hoardings

The Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government to take steps for implementing the nodal committee's recommendations to tackle the menace of illegal hoardings, which included amendment in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act to impose stricter penalties for illegal hoardings in line with the Motor Vehicle Act.

The division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice Makarand Karnik while hearing the public interest litigation against illegal hoardings was informed that various civic bodies across the state had complied with the HC directions and illegal hoardings had been removed.

According to Hindustan Times, HC also asked the BMC to consider the suggestions made by the state nodal committee to have dedicated spots in the city for putting up hoardings, maintaining and updating the database of permissions granted, embossing QR code on hoardings for easy verification of permissions and requisitioning special vehicles to remove hoardings.

The bench was informed by advocate Bhupesh Samant that in places like Ulhasnagar, the violators had removed the illegal hoardings put up by them following the court directions. Advocate Vinod Sangvikar submitted that representing Ichalkaranji corporation was the first civic body in the state to claim to be hoarding free.

After hearing the submissions, the bench however said that the Election Code of Conduct permitted political parties to put up hoardings to campaign for their candidates hence only those hoardings that were not having requisite permissions should be pulled down, HT report stated.