Civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Today (August 12th) informed the Karnataka High Court that the State government had approved a new by-law to curb the menace of illegal hoardings and flexes across the city. The new by-law, called the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (Advertisement) By-Laws 2024, will also include provisions to impose penal action against offenders, the municipal body said.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
Karnataka: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) informed the Karnataka High Court that the State government had approved a new by-law aimed at addressing the issue of illegal hoardings and flexes across Bengaluru.
The newly introduced regulation, known as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (Advertisement) By-Laws 2024, includes provisions for imposing penalties on offenders, as stated by the municipal body.
The BBMP further informed the Bench, comprising Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind, that objections from the public have been invited regarding the by-law. Once this process is complete, the State government will issue a gazette notification to bring the by-law into effect.
The High Court was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) addressing the widespread issue of illegal hoardings in Bengaluru. This hearing follows a July 12 session where the Bench took note of a news report that highlighted the removal of over six lakh unauthorized advertisements and hoardings by the city’s municipal authorities.
During that earlier session, the Court had sternly warned the Municipal Commissioner and the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, cautioning that it would initiate contempt proceedings against them if its orders for the removal of illegal hoardings were not followed.
In the latest hearing, the Court emphasized the need for better cooperation between the civic authorities and the city police in enforcing the removal of illegal hoardings. The High Court remarked,
“It is expected that by-laws will inter-alia include penal stipulation which may work as deterrent and operate penal action against the defaulters and wrong doers. Provisions are incorporated to bring the authorities of corporation under duty to ensure continuous monitoring of the activity of putting up illegal flexes and extra prevention against the mishaps which may occur during the seasons like monsoon because of flexes even if they are unauthorisedly put up.”
Additionally, the Court indicated that it might consider expanding the scope of the current PIL to encompass the entire State of Karnataka in future hearings.
The matter has been scheduled for the next hearing on September 26.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Illegal Hoarding
FOLLOW US ON YOUTUBE FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES
