Existing norms silent on use of digital screens

PANCHKULA: As municipal corporation turns a blind eye to the growing number of unauthorized hoardings in the city, the look of city markets is changing. The facade of the buildings wear a shabby look due to illegal signboards in all the prominent markets of the city, but mainly in sectors 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 15.
These hoardings are not just eyesores but also pose threat to residents as many accidents occur due to them.As per the Act, commercial premises owners can use only one-third of the space on display boards for other brands and two-third of it should be for displaying his own name.
However, this is being violated with impunity across the city. Interestingly, the existing norms are silent on use of digital screens, electronic boards and digitally prepared hoardings being increasingly used by traders to woo customers. To remove the ambiguity, MC has been working on revising the norms for the past two years, but to no avail. As per the law, a trader has to take prior permission of MC before displaying advertisements.
Though the council has been averse to making any such relaxations to preserve the skyline and aesthetic beauty of the city, the purpose of the tough policy has been defeated with illegal hoardings. Dr Anju Gupta, private practitioner in Sector 5, said, "The advertisements have turned into eyesores at most places and the problem aggravates during sales when massive hoardings are put up to attract customers with huge discounts." Bharat Hiteshi, resident of Sector 10, said, "Hoardings on the electricity poles are causing a nuisance across the city. During bad weather conditions, there is always a risk to travel on the city roads due to big hoardings."