Publication Date: 24 February 2016
Media: The Independent

Original Link: No more billboards for Ctg 

E-paper Link: No more billboards for Ctg

Not so long ago, much of Chittagong’s beauteous skyline remained hidden behind ugly billboards that dotted nearly every intersection, pavement, rooftop, foot-over bridge, electric pillar and street lamp post. Billboards were put up everywhere in flagrant violation of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) rules. However, all that has changed now.

Thanks to a report titled “Chittagong skyline lost to billboards” published in the September 13, 2014 edition of this newspaper, concerned authorities sat up and took notice of how the city had been robbed of its natural beauty and initiated a massive drive to remove all such illegal hoardings.
While political interference forced CCC to abandon its last eviction drive in July 2015, the corporation renewed its crash programme on January 14 this year, pulling down a total 1,748 billboards from different areas of the city till February 1.

Mayor of CCC, A.J.M. Nasir Uddin, said, “We have launched a crash programme to remove all billboards, signboards, placards and banners and implement our vision of a green and clean city.”
Executive Magistrate of CCC, Nazia Shirin, told The Independent, “We are yet to remove some billboards in the city; hopefully, we will soon be able to remove all of them. The drive will continue till all illegal billboards are pulled down.”

The drive is being executed by five executive magistrates: Mohammad Ruhul Amin and Tamim Al Yeamin, Executive Magistrate of Chittagong District Ddministration; Nazia; and Hasnat Murshed and Afzal Hossain, Assistant Commissioner of Land, Agrabad and Chandgaon, respectively. CCC sources said that the drive continues every night and qualifies as the largest joint eviction drive in the history of CCC. Incidentally, CCC has not renewed any billboard contracts since 2013.

When this correspondent visited strategic points of the city like Oxygen, Muradpur, Gate number 2, Probortak Circle, Kazir Dewari, New Market and Bahaddarhat, there was no sign of billboards at any of these places.

Liton Chandra Das, a resident of Kazirdewari area, said, “The whole city was once wrapped in billboards and we could not imagine Chittagong is so beautiful. But now, we think we are living in the midst of nature. We are enjoying the beauty of nature, the hills and the open skies.” Chief City Planner, Chittagong Development Authority, Shainul Islam Khan, told The Independent, “We want to have a billboard-free Chittagong to attract tourists. Tourists visit Chittagong for its natural beauty and rolling hills.”

However, President, Chittagong Outdoor Billboard Advertising Owners Association, Farid Mahmud, had a different version to tell The Independent, “In every city of a developed country, there are billboards. We do not want illegal billboards that deface the city however evicting all billboards means closure of business which is not expected.”