Chennai loses hoardings, gets a skyline

Chennai: The city's skyline has undergone a drastic change in the past one week with the city corporation removing hoardings in the city after a Supreme Court order.

The corporation has removed over 4,100 hoardings so far after the Supreme Court recently upheld an earlier High court order banning them.

"The hoardings on the main roads were blocking the views from trees and also prevented the fresh air. Now after the removal of hoardings, Chennai's looking greener than ever,” says Mayor, Chennai Corporation, M Subramanian.

The Chennai Corporation has already removed over 4,000 hoardings in the different parts of the city in less than a week's time and they are contemplating firm action against those who might be setting up any more new hoardings.

And this of course has not gone down well with the advertisers.

Advertising associations have not yet fully understood the nuances of the court order. They say the move has made them lose over Rs 7 crore in the city alone, and that about 30,000 people dependent on the hoarding business are suffering.

"Till now nobody knows what's the judgement. What have the judges said, what are the instructions, the guidelines they've given, without waiting for it, the government itself has illegally, arbitrarily been removing all the hoardings,” says Secretary, Tamil Nadu Outdoor Advertising Association, A G Nayagam.

Reactions from the public have been mixed. Says a resident Nikhil Bhavna, "We can't say Chennai is a metropolitan city without all the hoardings. We had something, we don't have it now.”

But another resident Yogesh disagrees, "When I was driving, I used to see these beautiful signboards and then I used to be distracted and it's really scary.”

It wouldn't be long before Chennai becomes totally devoid of hoardings but the question is at whose expense and for how long?

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