The
Bombay High Court on Wednesday expressed its dissatisfaction with the
widespread presence of illegal hoardings put up by political parties, saying
these parties show a lack of regard for the court's orders.
The
Bench, consisting of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar, was
hearing a petition concerning illegal hoardings throughout Maharashtra. The
judges noted that despite several previous court orders, these violations
persisted.
The
court observed that political parties had previously given an assurance to
refrain from placing illegal hoardings. In its order, the Bench reminded the
parties of the undertakings provided earlier.
"The
court had cautioned the political parties and had reminded them of the
undertakings furnished on their behalf to the court. However, it appears that
the political parties and other such organisations also do not have any respect
for the court orders," the Bench said,
During
the hearing, advocate Manoj Sirsath presented photographs showing hoardings in
various locations, including the Fort area of Mumbai.
"Despite
our explicit and clear directions issued earlier, it appears that concrete
steps are not being taken by the Municipal Corporation of Mumbai and other
Municipal Corporations to check such illegal hoardings and banners etc,"
the Bench stated.
The
court also reiterated its concerns from prior orders about the potential
environmental dangers posed by such hoardings.
"However,
despite all such orders having been passed, the directions issued by the Court
appear to have fallen to deaf ears of the authorities," it said.
Advocate
Anil Sakhare, representing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC),
assured the Bench that the Municipal Commissioner would be informed of the
ongoing violations and the court’s concerns.
The
Bench instructed Sakhare to gather detailed information on how the hoardings
shown in the submitted photographs were allowed and why no action had been
taken by municipal authorities. It also directed the district civil and police
administration to monitor such violations.
The
hearing will continue on Thursday. The court has also asked the Advocate
General to assist in the matter.