Shahin Akhter
Govt indifferent to public safety as billboards and arches continue to be set up flouting rules
Billboards and arches continue to be set up virtually anywhere and everywhere in the capital flouting the law despite loss of life and property they caused.
During a storm on April 4, two rickshaw pullers were injured and several parked cars were damaged as a giant billboard came down in front of Dhaka Club.
On March 15, 2010, two pedestrians were killed and eight others were injured as a billboard collapsed in front of Gulshan Tower Complex.
Civic groups blamed non enforcement of the law for the indiscriminate erection of these hazardous structures.
Unauthorised billboards and arches further aggravated the problems for the city residents as well as traffic movement, they said.
Political parties and influential individuals do not hesitate to set up unauthorised arches blocking traffic on important roads, they said.
Officials of Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation admitted that the law requires immediate removal of a huge number of risky and unauthorised billboards, mini and mega signs, wall signs, balcony signs and arches from the capital.
No unauthorized bill boards, many of which exceed the permissible size could be removed in last four months due to political pressure, they said.
Though the highest permissible size is 30 feet by 20 feet many of the billboards are 100 feet by 40 feet.
A total of 2,151 authorized billboards, min and mega signs had been set up in Dhaka North City areas said officials of the DNCC’s waste management department which gives permission and collects revenue from the advertisers using them.
They said 1,354 unauthorized billboards and other signs had also been set up by advertisers in Dhaka North City areas.
DNCC chief waste management officer Bipan Kumar Saha told New Age Wednesday that Bangladesh Railway gave permission to remove 39 illegal hoardings from its land.
‘We will take up the issue of removal of unauthorised billboards with different ministries and departments,’ he said.
Road transport and highways division secretary MAN Siddique told New Age that he was not aware that 99 unauthorised billboards had been set up on the highway from Kakoli Intersection at Banani to Tongi Bridge.
According to Dhaka South City Corporation’s revenue department there are 926 authorised rooftop hoardings and other signs in the areas under it.
DSCC officials said that they had no latest statistics of unauthorised billboards in their areas.
Until 2013, there were 92 unauthorised hoarding in the Dhaka South City areas, they said.
DSCC chief revenue officer Mohammad Mostafa Kamal told New Age that they were planning to remove all the risky rooftop hoardings, both authorised and unauthorised, set up along the road from Sonargaon Crossing to Bangabhaban.
According to officials of the two city corporations about 2,500 unauthorised billboards and other signs had been set up in the two cities.
During a storm on April 4, two rickshaw pullers were injured and several parked cars were damaged as a giant billboard came down in front of Dhaka Club.
On March 15, 2010, two pedestrians were killed and eight others were injured as a billboard collapsed in front of Gulshan Tower Complex.
Civic groups blamed non enforcement of the law for the indiscriminate erection of these hazardous structures.
Unauthorised billboards and arches further aggravated the problems for the city residents as well as traffic movement, they said.
Political parties and influential individuals do not hesitate to set up unauthorised arches blocking traffic on important roads, they said.
Officials of Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation admitted that the law requires immediate removal of a huge number of risky and unauthorised billboards, mini and mega signs, wall signs, balcony signs and arches from the capital.
No unauthorized bill boards, many of which exceed the permissible size could be removed in last four months due to political pressure, they said.
Though the highest permissible size is 30 feet by 20 feet many of the billboards are 100 feet by 40 feet.
A total of 2,151 authorized billboards, min and mega signs had been set up in Dhaka North City areas said officials of the DNCC’s waste management department which gives permission and collects revenue from the advertisers using them.
They said 1,354 unauthorized billboards and other signs had also been set up by advertisers in Dhaka North City areas.
DNCC chief waste management officer Bipan Kumar Saha told New Age Wednesday that Bangladesh Railway gave permission to remove 39 illegal hoardings from its land.
‘We will take up the issue of removal of unauthorised billboards with different ministries and departments,’ he said.
Road transport and highways division secretary MAN Siddique told New Age that he was not aware that 99 unauthorised billboards had been set up on the highway from Kakoli Intersection at Banani to Tongi Bridge.
According to Dhaka South City Corporation’s revenue department there are 926 authorised rooftop hoardings and other signs in the areas under it.
DSCC officials said that they had no latest statistics of unauthorised billboards in their areas.
Until 2013, there were 92 unauthorised hoarding in the Dhaka South City areas, they said.
DSCC chief revenue officer Mohammad Mostafa Kamal told New Age that they were planning to remove all the risky rooftop hoardings, both authorised and unauthorised, set up along the road from Sonargaon Crossing to Bangabhaban.
According to officials of the two city corporations about 2,500 unauthorised billboards and other signs had been set up in the two cities.
Source: New Age
