Jamshedpur: The district administration on Tuesday resumed an intensive drive against illegal hoardings in the city, citing distraction to motorists and obstruction to pedestrians using footpaths.
The Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee ( JNAC ) civic body removed over 50 illegal billboards from the busy sections of the city. The step was taken following directive from East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Amitabh Kaushal. Banners from different roundabouts at Sakchi and Sitaramdera were removed. Drive was also carried at Shitla Mandir in Sakchi which connects city to Sakchi vegetable mart and Sakchi market.
The second day of the drive carried out under the supervision of Dhalbhum SDO Alok Kumar from Sakchi roundabout to nearly 50 meters of the Straight Mile Road continued for nearly six hours.
The East Singhbhum district administration had launched the drive on October 1 last for removal of illegal advertisement hoardings, banners and posters mounted by commercial establishment on the busy Kalimati Road in Sakchi.
On the second day of the drive which saw two JCBs pressed into service cleared nearly 100 banners and hoardings and illegal advertisement boards on Straight Mile Road and intersecting lanes on this road.
�Besides posing danger to the public, these hoardings are hung without the permission or knowledge of JNAC. The city had many huge hoardings of every sort a range of organisation, from residential associations to NGOs.
Three years down the line, the number of flexes had only increased. �We have removed hoardings from traffic junctions and footpaths. The drive will continue until we get all the hoardings removed,� said an official.
�The drive will continue. Today we have removed small sized hoardings and in the next few days we would be pressing into service JCB excavator to pull down the big-sized banners and hoardings placed on the roads approaching the roundabouts,� said JNAC official.
By removing the illegal hoardings and banners, JNAC is warning that those who put up these banners will have to face the legal action, he said.
Officials said relocation of such hoardings has also been prohibited. This action has been taken to curb the mushroom growth of signboards and hoardings which have ruined the face of the city and cause difficulty in visuals along roads.