Hoardings pose danger to flights

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Hoardings of all hues and colours are back in Chennai. Two massive structures have come just opposite Chennai airport, violating aviation norms.

Two years ago, the district administration had cleared such structures as the halogen bulbs in these hoardings would pose danger to approaching flights at Chennai airport.

Close to a dozen hoardings have mushroomed in the vicinity of the Chennai airport, according to police sources.

“Hoardings disrupt traffic flow and can also cause accidents. If the local civic and revenue officials approach the city traffic police we would co-ordinate in removing these illegal structures,” traffic police sources maintained.

E.P. Harindranathan, director, Chennai airport, admitted that several hoardings had mushroomed along the GST Road stretch adjacent to the city airport and this would certainly pose a hindrance to pilots landing at the city airport.

Already there is clear court verdict favouring the removal of illegal hoardings and legal steps will be taken to remove the new structures, he said.

“While there is a restriction on commercial hoardings, political hoardings and banners go unchecked, as the city corporation remains a mute spectator.

Hundreds of casual labourers have lost their jobs when the city corporation banned the hoardings three years ago but the political vinyl boards are not touched,” lamented Ramesh Kannan, who works at a banner-printing unit in Chintadripet.

In September 2007, the Chennai city police, city corporation and revenue officials pulled down close to 5,000 unauthorised digital and vinyl hoardings and banners in Chennai.