Illegal hoardings in Delhi come under HC scanner

The hoardings posed a risk to public safety as they could topple over someone anytime.

Representational Image (Courtesy: PTI)

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the stand of the Centre, the AAP government and civic authorities here on a plea which claimed that unauthorised hoardings pose risk to public safety and deface properties.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao asked the authorities to indicate as to why unauthorised hoardings not be removed as urged by a lawyer who placed before the court photographs of illegal advertisements and banners in various parts of Delhi.

The lawyer, Prashant Manchanda, said that apart from being an eyesore, the hoardings also posed a risk to public safety as they could topple over someone anytime.

The bench noted that a Bombay High Court order of 2010 had held that authorities have a bounden duty to prevent and regulate display of illegal hoardings, banners and posters in the interests of amenity and public safety.

The Delhi High Court sought the authorities' stand on the issue by November 28, the next date of hearing.

The issue of illegal hoardings was raised by Manchanda in a fresh status report filed by him in his ongoing PIL seeking a complete ban on defacement of public properties by the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) poll candidates.

In his report, Manchanda has said that a large number of unipoles and hoardings have been fixed at public spaces, especially on footpaths and close to the roads, in contravention of the relevant guidelines of the outdoor advertising policy 2017.

"The whole of Delhi is defaced with illegal hoardings and banners displaying people from all walks of life more precisely political leaders felicitating their success or birthday greetings, etc," he has said. 

"Given that even in the DUSU elections political parties are major stakeholders it would be apposite that the authorities should keep a tight leash on such violators which shall give a stern message to student political outfits as well," he has said.

The court had on September 12 asked the police, the municipal bodies and Delhi University about the steps they took to prevent defacement of public property during the recent DUSU election campaign and directed that action be initiated against those candidates who had indulged in such activity.

Delhi Police and the municipal bodies told the court on Friday that they will soon place on record the steps they had taken to prevent defacement of property during DUSU polls and the action taken against the violators.

The court had asked for reports indicating the extent of defacement, the steps that were taken to prevent it and action taken against each poll candidate who violated the anti-defacement norms.

The direction had been issued after Manchanda submitted a report indicating that littering of pamphlets, pasting of posters and spray painting of walls occurred this year as well in violation of court orders.

The court on July 16 had directed the Centre, DU and the police to ensure there was no defacement of public property during the DUSU elections and give wide publicity to the penal consequences of such actions.

The high court had also warned the students that they might have to go to jail if they were found defacing public property ahead of the next elections of the varsity.