Madras High Court today closed a PIL seeking removal of hoardings on Kathipara-Pallavaram stretch of NH-45, observing that the Cantonment Board St.Thomas Mount cum Pallavaram here has already cancelled licences granted for the hoardings.
"It shows the government authorities are conscious and aware of the illegality perpetrated from the licenses granted by the Cantonment board's executive officer, and are taking corrective steps. Even the Cantonment Board, realising its illegality, has cancelled the licenses already issued," the court said.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam made the observations while closing the PIL filed by social activist "Traffic" Ramaswamy against the hoardings.
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It referred to various orders passed by the high court that local bodies, including the Cantonment Board, had no power and jurisdiction to permit hoardings.
The bench also said the orders cancelling the licences had already been communicated to the National Highways Authority of India and the Engineer incharge of Construction and Maintenance of city roads on July 2.
While a number of hoardings had already been removed, some of them were surviving on account of status quo orders passed by the court.
Under the circumstances, the bench said, Ramaswamy's PIL had come 'a little too late in the day,' as the bench was already seized of the matter and ordered closure of the PIL.
