Hoardings to also show licence number, validity

After the Madras High Court came down heavily on illegal banners and hoardings, which often are a menace to pedestrians and affects traffic movement, the Corporation’s single window system has granted permission for around 70 banners across the city.

A senior Corporation official said, “There are bi-weekly meetings to review the new applications for advertisement hoardings, including those erected on private buildings. So far, close to 70 banners have been licenced. This licence is valid for a year and new and existing hoardings should display details such as licence number and period of validity. 

This will help us identify which hoardings are legal and which ones are unauthorised.” The application for the hoardings require a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Police, following which, it is scrutinised by the zonal officer and then forwarded for approval by the Corporation Commissioner. 

For the temporary banners, the approvals are granted at the Regional Deputy Commissioner (RDC) level. “Digital and short-term flex banners, for a period of three days, require a police NOC and the permission can be given by the RDC,” said the official. 

He added that many applications have been rejected for a variety of reasons. “Some are rejected by the Police for causing traffic problems, some we reject if it is against the rules. Whenever we receive complaints about illegal banners, they are immediately removed,” explained the senior official.