GUWAHATI: In a cleanliness drive, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) on Wednesday removed illegal hoardings and banners from various main roads of the city.
The move came after the GMC had blacklisted 78 advertising firms over non-payment of advertisement tax for the financial year 2018-19. As per an official order of the GMC, the total outstanding amount of these 78 firms comes to more than Rs 5.50 crores. These firms have been barred from carrying out any sort of advertisements within Guwahati. A list of these agencies is published on the official website of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation along with the order.
Following this, the municipal body initiated an eviction campaign of the illegal hoardings across different parts of the city.
The team was headed by GMC Collector Loni Borpatragohain and cleared 11 huge hoardings from areas like Gauhati Club, Fatasil Ambari, Sarab-bhatti and Bhangagarh. The team of GMC officials also took stock of the situation in the GS Road and removed illegal hoardings.
The team started from Paltan Bazar and carried on the drive till Six Mile area. During the drive the GMC officials removed all illegal hoardings in this stretch. The team removed seven hoardings of size 10x20 feet and 20x20 feet. All these hoardings were put up without the permission of GMC.
Further according to sources, over the past few years several illegal and unauthorised hoardings and advertising sites have cropped up in Guwahati in various places. Several of these advertising agencies have been patronised by various politicians and thus the hands of GMC officials are tied, said sources.
With the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the blacklisting of outdoor advertising agencies comes at a crucial time when all political parties rely heavily on outdoor advertising in the run up to the elections.