Illegal ads thrive in Faridabad as authorities fail to take action

Illegal advertisements have continued to dot Faridabad roadsides in the absence of a comprehensive plan or a long-term drive by the authorities concerned.

The issue is not only a violation of civic regulations but also a cause of financial loss, estimated to be to the tune of several crores, to the public exchequer. Several illegal billboards and banners can be spotted across the city.

The Faridabad Municipal Corporation, the authority entasked with controlling illegal publicity, not only stands to lose revenue, but is also faced with the issues of maintaining cleanliness and sanitary conditions in the district, claim sources in the civic body.

“Just over 200 official points of publicity have been identified or sanctioned in the civic limits. However, the number of unauthorised advertisements is several times higher,” said an employee of the civic body, on the condition of anonymity.

Legal issues over some of the official sites and the reservation of 15 per cent of the sites for official publicity has led to a sharp decline in the revenue earned by the civic body, it is learnt.

The authorities concerned are yet to implement any long-term policy to curb the menace of illegal advertisements or to tap the income generation potential of roadside advertisements. Attributing the menace to the lack of transparency and the presence of an ‘advertisement nexus’ in the city, Ajay Saini, an area resident who has lodged several complaints with the civic authorities in this regard in the last few years, claimed that more than 80 per cent of the public advertisements in the city were illegal.

All electricity and streetlight poles of the city had been “occupied by the mafia”, he claimed, stating that even the pillars of the Metro rail, flyovers railings and the newly built Delhi-Mumbai Expressway had not been spared.

Narender Sirohi, another resident, said illegal advertising had emerged as a major cause of defacement of both public and private property. A majority of such publicity material was connected to political individuals or commercial organisations, he added.

He said, in the absence of tough legal action, political patronage could not be ruled out. Not just streetlights and electricity poles, but even traffic lights of the city have been defaced by illegal advertisements, making a mockery of civic regulations. MC Executive Engineer Sushil Thakran said illegal advertisements were removed from public places at regular intervals.