No renewal, fresh licences for ad hoardings on state highways,

The Madras High Court today directed the Tamil Nadu government not to renew or give fresh licences to erect advertisement hoardings along state highways and traffic junctions, contrary to guidelines of the Indian Road Congress and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

A division bench, comprising Justices M M Sundresh and M Sundar gave the direction on a public interest litigation filed by Coimbatore Consumer Cause.

The bench noted that the IRC has formulated a comprehensive policy through the guidelines on roadside advertisement and these were being followed by the ministry.

The petitioner submitted that as per IRC guidelines, Union government's policy and the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Licensing of Hoardings and Levy and Collection of Advertisement Tax Rules, advertisements should not be permitted on boards, placards, cloth banners or sheets hung across roads or at road junctions.
 

However, these rules were not being followed, the petitioner said.

The bench said it appeared that in Coimbatore district, permission had been given to some private advertisement firms to advertise on traffic signals and along state highways.

"This is in our considered view is contrary to the guidelines and the policy adopted by the ministry. What is applicable to national highways necessarily has to be applied to state highways as well," the bench said.

"Therefore, there cannot be any difference in terms of applicability of the policy," it said.

The bench noted that accidents do occur even when permissions are granted for advertisements.

On existing hoardings in the state, the bench said there was no difficulty in permitting existing advertisers to go on with their advertisements till expiry of licences issued to them.

It then directed the Tamil Nadu government not to renew or give fresh licences to erect advertisement hoardings along state highways and traffic junctions, contrary to guidelines of IRC and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.