The Hindu : New Delhi News : New project to identify unauthorised hoardings

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 25, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

New project to identify unauthorised hoardings

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

All authorised hordings in the Capital will now have a computer chip

NEW DELHI: High-tech global positioning system and computer chips will be the way forward to reduce visual pollution caused by illegal hoardings across the Capital.

The first city in the country to use this system, it will also assist the handful of municipal inspectors in keeping illegal hoarding at bay.

The new project envisages engaging a private agency to identify unauthorised hoardings, prepare an exhaustive data about them and constantly update officials on their status.

As part of this project, all authorised hording will now have a computer chip that will carry its unique identification number that can be traced. The new system is scheduled to become operational in next two months.

"We now have five inspectors covering the Capital to try and keep a check on illegal hoardings. Under the new project, we will engage a private agency to keep illegal hoarding at bay. They will photograph the hoardings and send the image using the global positing system to our office computers, allowing anyone to log in and check the status of illegal hoardings in the city. The auditing system will also allow us to check whether the illegal hoardings have been removed after they have been identified and tagged,'' says Amiya Chandra, Additional Deputy Commissioner of the Remunerative Projects Cell/ Advertisement Department of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

The MCD will have to pay Rs.40,000 a month for the service. According to an official, the civic body now suffers a loss of Rs.1.5 lakhs (per uni-pole measuring 24x10 feet) when an illegal hoarding is put up. "We haven't finalised the private agency that will do the job for us. We will be calling for applicants to try and reduce the monthly payment,'' said Mr. Chandra.

The plan will also cover hoardings put up by political parties, especially during election time. "We are looking at stricter punishment for those putting up illegal hoarding.

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