KOCHI: In its efforts to intensify the drive against illegal flex hoardings erected at various parts of the city, the Kochi Corporation has decided to introduce a bylaw to control such advertisements. The Town Planning Committee of the Corporation has already prepared the new hoarding policy, which will be presented at the next council meeting for approval.As an initial step, the civic body will start removing illegal hoardings erected at the major spots. “We will file criminal cases against the people who have put up these boards for defacement. If proven guilty, they would be fined,” said K J Sohan, chairman, Town Planning standing Committee.He said that the civic body initially will focus on removing illegal posters, banners and hoardings at the Marine Drive, one of the favourite spots for advertisers. “The hoardings erected at the Banerjee road and the Sahodaran Ayyappan road will also be removed soon,” Sohan added.Regarding the new bylaw, Sohan said that it would be in tune with the guidelines issued by the Indian Road Congress (IRC). “The IRC norms clearly specify that hoardings erected on the sides of roads should be at a minimum 50-metres away from the road at least 15-metres high. They should not block the view of the motorists, wayside buildings and must not affect the pedestrians,” he added.Sohan said that the bylaw would be brought into force after obtaining the nod of the council. Along with that, the civic body would also take action against the advertisers who are using trees to place their advertisement boards. “We have already prepared a list that includes the number of trees on which illegal flex hoardings are mounted. Some small advertisers use these tress to nail their posters and boards. We are looking into the possibilities of filing cases against the advertisers for defacing public property,” he added.
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