Kharar MC: Remove hoardings, advertising banners within three days

Mohali: The Kharar Municipal Council is all set to crack down on illegal hoardings and banners put up within the council limits. The council has given the owners three days to remove all hoardings, banners and flex boards put up for advertising purposes, failing which action will be taken against them. The order issued by the council office said, “The owner will have to pay the fine along with the cost incurred in removing the hoardings.” Officials said action will be taken against the owners under the Municipal Act 1911. Putting up illegal advertisements without paying advertising charges causes loss to the municipal corporation’s revenue and also spoils the look of the place. A large number of advertising boards and banners are put up at public places, parks, residential areas and electricity poles, which spoil the look of the area. During rain and dust storms, it also becomes a safety hazard, as the boards get uprooted and also get entangled in power lines. The enforcement wing of the city council conducts drives to remove these hoardings from time to time, but they come up again. Now, violators will be fined,” said an MC official. On June 12, the police booked the owner and director of Oxford Street, Zirakpur, for endangering lives and causing loss or damage to people after a unipole fell on them on June 5. A total of five cars were damaged after a 40-foot-high unipole carrying three advertising boards fell on vehicles. On the same day, a unipole fell on two cars in High Street on VIP Road.

Zirakpur MC still sleeping

Despite two major incidents about a fortnight ago, the Zirakpur MC has not taken any action against violators, nor has it launched any drive against illegal hoardings. Local residents said there are many large unipoles and hoardings in Mohali’s urban areas, which need to be audited for structural stability.