CCMC at loggerheads with Southern Railways over NOC for banners on roads

Motorists had raised concerns over the hoardings placed inside the railway land near Brooke Bond Road in ward 70 of the central zone Coimbatore, which they claimed distracts the motorists and had urged the CCMC to take action against this.According to sources, despite the HC order stating that no hoardings must be placed in a way which distracts road users, the railways is continuing to do so in the city.

Motorists have said that the hoardings installed near Brooke Bond Road in ward 70 of the central zone has been placed parallel and opposite to the road, which distracts road users. They further said that such hoardings have also been installed near the Good Shed Road flyover.

Sources said that the general manager of the Southern Railways has already issued clear orders stating that a license should be obtained from the district collector to place such hoardings. Further, it stated that a collector can issue a license only after all the concerned departments, including the police and municipal corporation, provide a No Objection Certificate (NOC). "However, in this case, the railway officials had installed the hoardings without obtaining the license or NOC," sources added.

Secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause and member of the Coimbatore Road Safety Panel K Kathirmathiyon told TNIE, "Despite the HC order, the Southern Railways has allowed the installation of hoardings illegally. We have already taken this matter to the collector and the CCMC commissioner's attention during the district-level monthly road safety meeting. According to the order, banners cannot be placed around 100 metres from the railway junction, including on railway land. The station manager and chief commercial inspector must ensure that banners are placed after obtaining the license and NOCs, which they are not doing," he added.

Activists have demanded the collector to remove the hoardings using earthmovers like the then collector had done in 2011.Prathap told TNIE that the CCMC has written a letter to the Southern Railways in regards to the failure of obtaining NOC, to which the latter had replied that they don't need one as railways is a central government agency and the hoardings are on railway land.

"We have written a second letter to them about the issue, pointing out the HC order, and we are yet to receive a reply. We shall take a call based on their reply," he added.When inquired about it, an official from the Salem Division of the Southern Railways told TNIE, "We have received the letter from the CCMC. We shall discuss it with the management and take appropriate action."