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by Ananda Kannangara

In a bid to convert the heart of Colombo an attractive location for locals and foreigners, the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has decided to ban displaying all kinds of hoardings and billboards at prominent places in the city of Colombo with effect from January 01 next year.

In an interview with the Sunday Observer, CMC, Deputy Mayor Azath Salley said that though prominent places in the city were unattractive with full of hoardings, bill boards and posters elsewhere, no one wanted to implement such a program earlier, considering it as a difficult task.

"But I was compelled to take this challenge with the objective of converting Colombo as a beautiful city like in Singapore, Kualalampur and several others in the region," he said. He said at present nearly 3000 hoardings and billboards have been displayed by mercantile establishments, advertising firms, individuals and various organisation in the city limits and nearly Rs. 15,000 are charged by the CMC for each hoarding for a period of one year.

"But some individuals, especially persons having associations with political parties are in the habit of displaying banners and other hoardings even without obtaining prior approval from the CMC," he said.

He said however he would definitely go ahead with the program and was confident that no one would obstruct it, considering the pathetic situation of several places in Colombo where a large number of hoardings being displayed at present." Asked about the financial obstacles, the CMC will have to face when taking such a decision, the Deputy Mayor said that he would take some other precautionary measures to earn money to cover up expenses, commonly born by the CMC.

Salley also expressed concern over the intervention of top people into several decisions earlier taken by him to stop using polythene in the city of Colombo.

"When I introduced such a program last year to eliminate the dumping of polythene in the city limits, especially to avoid the water getting blocked during rainy days and causing severe hardships to motorists as well as pedestrians, no one obliged to my request. As a result the situation have now become worst," he added.

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