Ahmedabad : Gujarat The High Court on Thursday issued notice to the state government and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on a PIL seeking to ensure safety provisions for building hoardings and hoardings on footpaths or superstructures, especially in the recent past. In times of natural calamities like cyclone.
Petitioner Sanjay Joshi has urged the High Court to direct the authorities to conduct a survey and remove all hoardings, LCDs and LEDs on roads or buildings if found dangerous to public safety.
On behalf of the petitioner, advocates Neel and Dhvani Lakhani argued that there is lack of rules regarding installation, as well as quality check whether the advertising material can cause damage to life and property in case of an accident. The structures on which such hoardings are placed also sometimes do not have the proper stability to hold them. This taunt was visible during the cyclone when there was loss of life and property due to the collapse of such hoardings.
Moreover, the billboards also pose a permanent risk to the pedestrians as they are placed purely in commercial interest and do not see any justification and regulation in their establishments. The General Development Control Regulations also lack provisions for monitoring and quality checks while putting up hoardings.
After the preliminary hearing, a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice RM Chhaya sought response from the authorities by November 17. The HC in its order also referred to a 2014 trial when the Vadodara Municipal Corporation had agreed to ensure that it would not advertise. Creating barriers for pedestrians on footpaths.
Petitioner Sanjay Joshi has urged the High Court to direct the authorities to conduct a survey and remove all hoardings, LCDs and LEDs on roads or buildings if found dangerous to public safety.
On behalf of the petitioner, advocates Neel and Dhvani Lakhani argued that there is lack of rules regarding installation, as well as quality check whether the advertising material can cause damage to life and property in case of an accident. The structures on which such hoardings are placed also sometimes do not have the proper stability to hold them. This taunt was visible during the cyclone when there was loss of life and property due to the collapse of such hoardings.
Moreover, the billboards also pose a permanent risk to the pedestrians as they are placed purely in commercial interest and do not see any justification and regulation in their establishments. The General Development Control Regulations also lack provisions for monitoring and quality checks while putting up hoardings.
After the preliminary hearing, a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice RM Chhaya sought response from the authorities by November 17. The HC in its order also referred to a 2014 trial when the Vadodara Municipal Corporation had agreed to ensure that it would not advertise. Creating barriers for pedestrians on footpaths.
.