Illegal hoardings removed

Solan, February 23

The Solan Municipal Corporation today removed 181 hoardings erected unauthorisedly on private land in various parts of the city.

As many as 181 places were identified in a survey where hoardings had been put up without permission. At some places, these were removed by the owners themselves while notices were served on 58 advertisers to remove hoardings earlier this month.

A penalty of Rs 1.15 crore was imposed on advertisers as the use of urban spaces in civic area attracts tax and can’t be used for installing hoardings without permission.

The MC today completed the campaign and removed 181 such hoardings. A majority of these hoardings pertain to educational institutions, coaching centres, consumer goods, etc.

“The month-long exercise was accomplished with the help of more than 50 employees of the MC and all hoardings erected on private buildings were removed,” said Rajiv Kaura, Deputy Mayor.

A large number of flex boards had been put up at Saproon, Deonghat, Rabon, Kotla Nullah, etc. and other main commercial centres of the city. One could hardly see the landscape at places like Kolta Nullah and Saproon, which have emerged as hotspots of advertising.

As hardly any action was taken against this unauthorised exercise for years, the advertisers had been emboldened and erected multiple hoardings at several prominent sites all across the city. A majority of these measured several feet in length and width and it took the staff a lot of time to remove these manually.

The exercise has left the city cleaner as large hoardings had marred natural beauty of hills. Residents, who were unaware of the tax which it attracted, were also granted an opportunity to present their views before the MC initiated the move to remove the hoardings.