Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court Wednesday ordered notice to the state govt, the Greater Bengaluru Authority, as well as the five new city corporations, in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning the display of self-LED advertisements across Bengaluru city.A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha also ordered notice to Bengaluru city police, KSPCB, Bescom, and others, while posting the petition to June 18 for further consideration. The PIL was filed by K Laxmana, a retired DRDO official.In 2018, following the directions issued in a PIL, the erstwhile BBMP council passed the Outdoor Signage and Public Messaging Byelaws, which imposed a complete ban on commercial hoardings in Bengaluru city. Despite this, BBMP/GBA granted permissions for self-LED advertisements on private properties, in violation of Section 158 of the BBMP Act 2020.Despite Rs 321 advertisement tax arrears till 2016, permissions were granted to those who owed dues. Additionally, these self-LED advertisements now brazenly display commercial advertisements for unrelated products and services, constituting a complete breach of conditions, the petitioner stated.The proliferation of these advertisements constitutes visual pollution. The GBA rules fail to prescribe any mechanism for oversight by KSPCB to monitor and regulate the same. Even traffic police have no supervisory role in granting these LED hoardings, despite obvious traffic safety implications, the petitioner further added.Apart from seeking a stay on the issuance of further permissions, and also on GBA rules permitting conversion to commercial self-LED advertisements, the petitioner prayed for removal of all those self-LED advertisements displaying commercial advertisements. A direction was also sought to Bescom to cut off power supply to LED advertisements put up on buildings without occupancy certificates.
