No fresh licenses for ads on state highways, rules Madras High Court

The Madras High Court gave directions to the Tamil Nadu government not to renew or give fresh licenses to erect advertisement hoardings along state highways and traffic junctions, keeping in view guidelines of the Indian Roads Congress and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India. A division bench, comprising Justices M M Sundresh and M Sundar announced the order on a public interest litigation filed by Coimbatore Consumer Cause.

The bench reportedly noted that the IRC has formulated a comprehensive policy through the guidelines on roadside advertisement and these were being followed by the ministry. The bench said, " What is applicable to national highways necessarily has to be applied to state highways as well. Therefore, there cannot be any difference in terms of applicability of the policy”.

On existing hoardings in the state, the bench said there was no difficulty in permitting existing advertisers to go on with their advertisements till expiry of licenses issued to them.