HC criticises Thiruvananthapuram corporation for not removing hoardings and flags

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday criticised the government and the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for not implementing its various orders for removing unauthorised hoardings, flags, festoons and other boards installed illegally in the city.
Justice Devan Ramachandran, while referring to a report filed by the amicus curiae which said that Thiruvananthapuram city was flooded with unauthorised boards and flags, observed that the violations of the court orders were taking place under the very nose of the government. It should not distress the court alone but also the authorities who are concerned with the task of ensuring maintenance of law and order as the amicus curiae says many of the boards are installed by the party in power and even by the government itself and public relations department. The matter was much more serious because it was the capital city which was very beautiful and well planned unlike other cities.
The court observed that it was very clear that the secretaries of the self-government institutions were reacting to various orders of the court only if the court took note of the violations. The court added that it was very strange and unacceptable.
The court warned that the “insouciance” shown by the authorities towards the court orders will force the court to initiate contempt of court proceedings and fix personal responsibility on them for recovering the fine. The court clarified that the attempt of the court is to rid the city of the menace and secure the government the highest amount of revenue government through fines.
Suman Chakravarthy, counsel for the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation submitted that most of the hoards and flags had been removed. He sought more time to inspect the city on the issue and report to the court.