GVMC directed to remove hoardings

The High Court at Hyderabad on Thursday took a serious view of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC)’s inaction regarding removal of hoardings and unipoles obstructing traffic signals in the city.

The division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Shameem Akhter warned the GVMC higher-ups that it would not tolerate if they thought they can overreach the court and said if need be, they would order personal appearance of the officers to tender explanations regarding their inaction.

The bench was hearing a writ appeal filed by Prakash Arts Pvt Ltd, advertising and billboard agency against the interim order of a single judge permitting M/s Stanpower Pvt. Ltd to erect its hoardings as per the terms and conditions of the agreement.

The GVMC entered into an agreement with this agency to put in place 94 smart traffic signals at junctions on the build operate and transfer basis and in return that agency has been given the liberty to sell advertising space at these junctions through billboards, unipoles and hoardings. Prakash Arts Pvt Ltd approached the High Court against this contract.

The division bench had earlier directed the GVMC to provide a report on the location of unipoles and hoardings erected by M/s Stanpower Pvt Ltd along with comments whether they are as per the terms and conditions of the Agreement and whether they are obstructing the traffic signals as being alleged.

The GVMC submitted the report to the bench on Thursday. After perusing it, the bench expressed anger at the non-mentioning of a single word about whether there was obstruction to traffic signals in the report and warned the Standing Counsel for GVMC that their top authorities would be summoned if this attitude continues. The matter has been adjourned to Friday.