The two city corporations of the capital yesterday launched an eviction drive against signboards, billboards and banners containing advertisement or messages in English or mixed languages in the city as per a recent High Court directive.
The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) launched their drive after allowing three days to advertising agencies to remove such advertisements themselves.
“As per a High Court ruling, we have started drive today [Tuesday] to remove signboards, billboards and banners that contain advertisements in English or in mixed languages,” DNCC Chief Waste Management Officer Captain Bipan Kumar Saha told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
“We have removed more than a hundred signboards from the capital’s Gulshan area on the first day of the drive,” he added.
Bipan said they had issued a public notice in two national dailies and five television channels last week asking advertisers to remove such signboards, billboards or banners within the next three days.
When asked about the reaction of advertisers regarding the eviction drive, he noted: “Advertisers readily agreed to remove such advertisements following the notice.”
DSCC Chief Revenue Officer Md Mostafa Kamal said: “We have already started the drive and already removed many such billboards and signboards.”
On May 28 this year, the HC has asked the government to take measures to implement its prior directive on using Bangla in all advertisements, nameplates and signboards.
The court has also ordered the home secretary to use Bangla language in nameplates and number plates of police vehicles and other signboards under the ministry.
It further asked the information secretary to take measures to stop publishing or broadcasting advertisements in English language in both electronic and print media, unless they were unavoidable, within a month.
During the hearing, Deputy Attorney General Biswajit Roy said letters asking implementation of the use of Bangla have been sent to authorities concerned, but the government would need more time to implement the order.
However, the HC fixed July 1 to implement its prior order. The court also ruled that the names of mass media should be written in Bangla everywhere.
On Monday, LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam announced in the parliament: “An eviction drive will begin very soon to remove signboards, billboards and banners that contain advertisements in English language or in mixed languages.”
