Illegal banners continue to pose safety risk to the public on main roads of Tiruchi

A political banner being removed by civic workers from Royal Road in Tiruchi. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Illegal hoardings and banners continue to pose a threat to public safety on major roads and near commercial establishments in the city.

Despite Tiruchi Corporation’s continued efforts, hoardings and banners keep cropping up in several parts of the city. As the hoardings erected on rooftops, electric poles, and roadsides pose a threat to public safety whenever there is strong wind, the civic body has begun removing them.

Advertisement banners in Cantonment, Sangiliyandapuram, Ramalinga Nagar, Ponnagar, Vayalur Main Road, Kallukuzhi, Selva Nagar, Mannarpuram, near the District Court Complex, and on roads around Central Bus Stand are a common sight. Apart from being a distraction to drivers, these banners pose a threat to public safety, especially in adverse weather conditions.

Giant flex boards are placed for religious events and festivals, marriages, and other family functions. Similarly, political party cadres erect flex boards for birthdays and anniversaries of their leaders. These banners and hoardings placed alongside the roads, pavements, and bridges encroach upon public spaces, causing inconvenience to road users.

Although a no-objection certificate from the Corporation, the police, and the district administration is mandatory for putting up hoardings, this rule is followed more in the breach.

Recently, the civic body removed banners from Karumandapam, Royal Road, Cantonment, and Sangiliyandapuram areas. Officials said this would be done periodically, and a penalty imposed on the guilty. Major roads and key areas would be monitored, he added.

However, residents and activists said despite reports of such hoardings collapsing in gusty wind, hindering vehicular movement and endangering many lives, action against those putting up illegal hoardings and banners, especially of political parties, remain ineffective.

Published - June 08, 2025 06:59 pm IST