The High Court yesterday directed Dhaka City Corporation to start immediate removal of all unauthorised hoardings in the capital.
However, the order is not applicable to those rooftop hoardings that obtained HC stay orders against their removal in 2007.
The court asked the inspector general of police, Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner and officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police Station to provide all-out cooperation to DCC authorities during their removal of hoardings.
The HC move came after Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh filed a writ petition with the HC.
An HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Md Delwar Hossain also issued a rule upon the government to explain within three weeks as to why it should not be directed to demolish all illegal hoardings in the capital. A lawyer for the petitioner said the court issued the rule to know more about illegal hoardings and legal issues related to their removal.
It also summoned the OC of Shahbagh Police Station to the court on April 5 for explaining as to why Shahbagh police did not assist the DCC in tearing down illegal hoardings on March 18.
The OC would have to explain in black and white who directed the police not to cooperate with the DCC that day and why departmental proceedings should not be launched against the OC.
It also asked the government to explain as to why departmental proceedings should not be launched against the policemen who did not assist the DCC.
The home secretary, the IGP, the DMP commissioner, the DCC mayor and the OC of Shahbagh Police Station were made respondents to the rule.
The DCC had to halt an eviction drive against illegal hoardings at Shahbagh intersection on March 18 as Shahbagh police suddenly withdrew from the drive within an hour.
The DCC team was scheduled to dismantle 13 illegal hoardings that day but could remove only two.
The HC yesterday also asked the DCC to submit a report before it within two weeks whether the capital's authorised hoardings have been properly set up. The DCC has to get the report prepared by an expert committee.
It also directed the DMP commissioner to submit a report within two weeks on how many hoardings have been set up by the police in the capital and on what legal grounds those have been set up.
In the rule it also asked the government to explain why it should not be directed to pay compensation to the family members of the two people killed in a hoarding collapse in Gulshan-1 on March 15.
Following an eviction notice served by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha against hazardous hoardings in September, 2007, Outdoor Advertising Owners' Association (OAOA) filed a writ petition with the HC.
The DCC move to dismantle hoardings from rooftops got stalled with the filing of the writ petition.
DCC Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka said a writ was filed following a discord over the enhanced rate of advertisement and at one stage OAOA accepted the rate and neither of the parties pursued the case.
Unsafe and unauthorised hoardings have been causing deaths in the capital but nothing has so far been done to punish the culprits responsible.
The HC came up with the directives and rules after a writ petition was filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh on March 21 for direction upon the law enforcement agencies to assist the DCC authorities in demolishing illegal hoardings.
The petition was filed following two deaths and injuries to eight people when a poorly mounted hoarding collapsed on them in front of Gulshan Shopping Centre in the city during a storm on March 15.
Manzill Murshid appeared for the petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Akram Hossain stood for the government.
DCC Town Planner Sirajul Islam said, "We are inspired by the court directives and now we will go for eviction of unauthorised hoardings in full swing."
The DCC holds a meeting today with the OAOA, private telephone companies, multinational companies, industrial organisations and others to request them to remove any unauthorised hoardings and ensure safety of those authorised.