More than seven years after it enforced the ban on display of banners in Puducherry, the government has now decided to tweak the rules to streamline and enhance revenue to the local bodies.
A Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy on Wednesday decided to relax the conditions laid down in the Puducherry Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement Act) 2009, in order to meet the demands from various corners and to bring some revenue to the cash-starved local bodies.
Demands to lift ban
A top government official told The Hindu , “There have been demands from various quarters including commercial establishments to lift the ban on banners. The municipalities are also crippled due to lack of revenue generation and flexibility in rules is expected to streamline and bring in additional revenue to the municipalities.”
The Act, in its present state, envisages a blanket ban on erection of banners, flex boards and hoardings. Unlike in Tamil Nadu, there is no provision in our Act to seek permission before erecting cut-outs and banners.
The government will be framing a new set of rules for erection of banners in the city. The municipalities will specify a list of vantage points where the banners and hoardings can be displayed based on a set of established norms. The new rules would be framed in the next three to four weeks, the official said.
Eyesore
However, municipal officials maintain that flexibility in decision would again lead to the city’s landscape cluttered with banners remaining an eyesore.
Ever since the ban was enforced, there have been allegations by the opposition parties that the municipalities were allowing the ruling party in the State to put up banners against the ban while removing ones erected by other parties.
The government will be framing a new
set of rules for
erection of banners
in the city