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Lucknow: Safety doesn’t get top billing in maze of billboards
The risk posed by hoardings in the city came to the fore when a woman and her daughter died while their driver sustained grievous injuries as a billboard collapsed on their SUV
Oversized hoardings continue to pose a problem in the city where they have been put up not only by private companies but also government departments, including Lucknow Metro and the irrigation department, in violation of norms, people in the know of things said.
A number of such hoardings (billboards) could prove dangerous if strong winds cause them to fall.
The risk posed by hoardings in the city came to the fore when a woman and her daughter died while their driver sustained grievous injuries as a billboard collapsed on their SUV, trapping them inside the vehicle near the Ekana Stadium during a thunderstorm that hit the state capital on June 5 evening.
“There are many hoardings placed by these government departments which violate the safety norms. We are serving notices in connection with hoardings which are 20x40 feet in size. A number of notices for removal have been served,” said Lucknow Municipal Corporation’s chief tax fixation officer Ashok Singh, who is in charge of the civic body’s advertising department.
“(Lucknow) Metro is not depositing any tax for advertising despite being served notices,” said Singh.
“Notices for removal of hoardings have been served to (Lucknow) Metro and irrigation department by LMC for not adhering to the norms and rules,” he added.
“Lucknow Municipal Corporation is entitled to collect taxes from Lucknow Metro for advertising but they don’t give a single penny to us nor pay property tax despite having a big residential colony and number of stations in the city from which they are earning heavily,” he said.
LMC officials said advertisement agencies have not submitted reports on structural strength of the hoardings.
The Lucknow Metro had dangerously hung hoardings on the wall of tracks along the over 19-km elevated route, it was alleged
The irrigation department and railways were alleged to have given permission to advertising agencies to put up hoardings on their land. But these departments have reportedly neither submitted the report of structural engineers to LMC nor deposited the fee, a person aware of the issue said.
Pushpa Belani, public relations officer (PRO) and company secretary of UP Metro Rail Corporation, said, “We have yet to receive notice from Lucknow Municipal Corporation. However, regarding the municipal taxes, all I can say is that Metro is exempt from any sort of municipal taxes according to the agreement. Metro is known for following the rules and we will never do anything which is against the norms. Both (LMC and Lucknow Metro) are government departments, so we will have to follow the rules,” she said.
