CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Chennai district administration to remove "forthwith" 1,252 unauthorised hoardings in the city.

Passing interim orders on petitions relating to the regulation or removal of hoardings in Chennai, the First Bench comprising Chief Justice A.P. Shah and Justice Prabha Sridevan also directed the District Collector and the Chennai Corporation Commissioner to take stringent steps to recover arrears from advertising agencies/parties.

"The Collector/Corporation is directed to issue notices to all the agencies/parties who are in default of the ground rent/advertisement tax. If the arrears are not deposited within four weeks of service of such notice, the authorities shall remove the hoardings."

The Bench also clarified that not only the hoardings "but also the frames and supports" of the hoardings be removed.

The Bench passed the order on the basis of the March 30 report of the Chennai Collector, stating that around 2,131 applications had been received for regularising the existing hoardings and that 1,617 applications had been received seeking permission to erect new hoardings.

Renewal applications

As regards renewal applications of the existing hoardings, the judges said, "the Collector is directed to process 2,131 applications as per rules. But the orders passed on the applications shall not be given effect to until further orders." As for the applications for of new hoardings, the judges said, "the 1,617 applications, which have been received for erection of new hoardings, shall not be processed till further orders."

The Bench directed the Collector "to take action forthwith" to remove 1,252 hoardings in respect of which no applications had been received, and added, "it is made clear that the Collector is expected to remove not only the hoardings but also the frames and supports of the hoardings."

Referring to an interrogatory (a set of questions/clarifications) furnished by B.S. Gnanadesikan, counsel for the Tamil Nadu Outdoor Advertising Agencies Association, the judges said the interrogatory would be duly answered by the Collector. "The Collector is directed to file a reply affidavit for the interrogatory within eight weeks," they added.

Posting the matter to April 20 for further proceedings, the Bench said, "It is brought to our notice that in many cases, the persons who have erected the hoardings have not paid the ground rate/advertisement tax. There are huge arrears payable to the Collector and the Commissioner. The Corporation is entitled to recover the ground rent/ad tax up to June 2003."

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