The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday directed the State government to provide details about the number of First Information Reports (FIRs) registered across the State for violation of provisions of the Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) (KOPPD) Act, 1981.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Hemant Chandangoudar issued the direction during the hearing of PIL petitions, related to illegal hoardings and banners in Bengaluru city, through which the court is monitoring actions taken by the authorities under the KOPPD Act.
The State government, on a direction from the court, on January 14 directed the Commissioners of all city corporations (excluding Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Paike), the Municipal Commissioners of all City Municipal Councils and Chief Officers of all Town Municipal Councils/Taluk Panchayats to ensure implementation of the KOPPD Act.
Also, the Director General and Inspector General of Police issued a circular, based on the court’s earlier direction, asking all the station house officers across the State to register FIR when a complaint is filed alleging breach or contravention of Section 3 of the KOPPD Act.
Meanwhile, the Bench said that the communication, issued by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department to all Chief Executive Officers of zilla panchayats to ensure that all gram panchayats adopt the Karnataka Panchayat Raj (Gram Panchayat Control over Erection of Advertisements and Hoardings) Model Bylaws, 2013, is not in conformity with the court’s earlier direction.
Three-weeks time
Pointing out that Section 316 of the Karnataka Grama Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act empowers the government to issue specific direction to each gram, taluk, and zilla panchayats to adopt the model bylaws through a resolution, the Bench gave three weeks to the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department to comply with the direction.
