The Chief Justice of Madras High Court Indira Banerjee on Monday raised the issue of illegal flex boards having been erected all along the road leading to the airport here. She brought it to the notice of Advocate General Vijay Narayan that a huge number of such boards had been erected abutting the main road, blocking the pavements completely.

Broaching the subject impromptu during the course of the conduct of court proceedings, the Chief Justice told the A-G that she came across several low lying flex boards at Guindy and other places. She wondered how the corporation and police officials could allow people to display such boards in violation of rules and regulations.

Referring to detailed orders passed in this regard by a Division Bench led by her, she said: “We have not stopped anybody from putting up these boards. We had only ordered regulating them. But I found many of the boards having been erected just one and a half feet above the ground level leaving no space underneath for pedestrian movement.”

She said that many of those boards were also abutting the main road where so many vehicles pass through at high speed.

“I think notices should be issued to those who had erected the boards illegally. After all, it is the people who are inconvenienced,” the Chief Justice said, presiding over the first Division Bench along with Justice P.T. Asha.

‘Followers to blame’

The A-G replied that it was not the political leaders but followers in their zeal to impress the leaders who put up such boards. Government officials had already been instructed to take necessary action and that they would be instructed once again to act tough against those who do not follow the relevant rules and the court orders on the issue, he said.

This was the second time in the last two weeks that the Chief Justice raised the issue of illegal flex boards dotting the pavements on the city. On July 29, she complained about such boards having been erected by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) men on Santhome High Road.

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