The Karnataka High Court on Friday said that the Transport Department and the traffic police will have to ensure that no banned plastic material is used for displaying advertisements in public transport vehicles, including BMTC buses, and autorickshaws.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice R. Devdas issued the direction after their attention was drawn to this matter.
The bench also orally made it clear that only cloth and paper could be used for displaying advertisements on public toilets, skywalks and bus shelters that are built under public private project schemes and the BBMP has to take court’s nod before permitting any material as an alternative to banned plastic material.
‘86 structures remaining’
Meanwhile, BBMP counsel V. Sreenidhi told the bench that as on October 25, 1,565 advertisement hoarding structures, for which no responses have been received from owners despite both public and individual notices to submit proof of legality of installing such structure, have been removed. The process to remove the remaining 86 such structures is under way.
The bench was informed that the BBMP received 704 objections and suggestions to the draft Outdoor Signage and Public Messaging By-law-2018 as on October 25.
The bench said that the BBMP has to complete the process of scrutinising these responses as expeditiously as possible while not accepting BBMP counsel’s submission that it would require up to four weeks.
The bench adjourned till November 3 further hearing on these PIL petitions, which had complained about the menace of illegal hoardings, banners, etc in the city, through which it is monitoring the BBMP’s actions of removal of illegal hoardings.
