Unauthorised ad hoardings - CMC taken to task

By Ananda Kannangara

The inadequate steps taken by the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) to dismantle unauthorised advertising hoardings in the city of Colombo was severely criticised by the former CMC Deputy Mayor Azath Salley yesterday.

The former Deputy Mayor told the 'Sunday Observer' that although the deadline was given to advertisers to remove their hoardings before May 4, 2006, neither the advertisers nor the Municipal Commissioner has taken any action to remove the hoardings so far.

"There are more than 500 unauthorised hoardings in the city and it is a crime that the Municipal Commissioner or the newly appointed CMC members are turning a blind eye to this matter," he said. He said both parties do not know the gravity of the danger of these hoardings, erected at places where they can be a real danger to human lives.

"Several of such hoardings are installed near schools in Colombo where thousands of children stay after school until the arrival of their usual transport," he said.

He said when this matter was brought to the notice of the Supreme Court during his tenure, six advertisers sought interim relief preventing the respondents, ie, the CMC, the Mayor of Colombo and the Municipal Commissioner from dismantling their advertising hoardings.

"But the Supreme Court refused the interim relief," he said. Meanwhile, the former Deputy Mayor said that he had brought this matter to the attention of President Mahinda Rajapaksa adding that he was confident the President will help in this matter where the CMC Commissioner was unable to do so far.