Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) and Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) yesterday removed seven more billboards and 75 signboards put up illegally in different areas from Probortok to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
It was a six-hour drive where CCC and CMP officials were present, said CMP Panchlaish circle’s Assistant Commissioner Dipok Jyoti Khisha.
He said legal actions would be taken against owners of the illegal billboards and signboards.
On Saturday, six billboards and 51 signboards were removed as part of the second phase of the drive to remove illegally installed billboards, which started on January 1.
The drive to remove such billboards and signboards was initiated by CMP Commissioner Abdul Jalil Mandal as most of the billboard owners did not remove theirs despite an ultimatum.
The decision to issue the ultimatum was taken at a meeting attended by officials of the CMP, CCC and the Outdoor Billboard Owners Association.
CCC Chief Revenue Officer Ahmadul Haque said a total of 422 billboards out of around 6,000 in the port city were illegally installed but CCC sources claimed the number would be higher.
The first phase of the drive was initiated on November 16 last year but was halted allegedly by local Awami League leaders after 31 billboards were removed.
The CMP commissioner at a press briefing on December 16 refused to talk about the allegation, saying that removing billboards was not his task.
The drive resumed on January 1 under the CMP Ordinance, and 27 billboards and 126 signboards had been removed since then.
The CMP commissioner said the drive would continue until all the billboards put up illegally were removed.
But the largest such billboard, measuring about 4,000 square feet, in the port city was installed at GEC intersection and is still there.
The billboard, owned by several local Awami League and Jubo League leaders, including Awami Jubo League Chittagong city unit Convener Mohiuddin Bacchu, General Secretary of Omar Gani MES College Chhatra Sangsad Arshadul Alam Bacchu and Jubo League leader Sanat Barua, was put up after taking permission from the CCC for three separate billboards, said CCC sources.
It was removed when the last caretaker government was in power but was again put up when the Awami League took over after the elections, sources said.
The CCC gets Tk2.40 lakh every year from billboard owners but the owners allegedly make around Tk50 lakh annually by putting up the billboards for rent, sources added.
CCC Revenue Officer Shamsul Haque said the highest limit of a billboard’s dimension was 800 square feet and those installed on footpaths were entirely illegal.
The CMP commissioner also said: “We will remove all big billboards put up in violation of the rules one by one after removing the small ones.”
CCC sources said many Awami League leaders are involved in billboard business in the city.
