Following a prolonged legal battle by Centre for Environmental Justice a non-governmental organization, the authorities today undertook to implement a regulation and criteria on the erection of banners, hoardings and posters during the election period in order to control visual pollution and ensure road safety in the country.

The Attorney General informed Court of Appeal today (3) that the government authorities including the Central Environmental Authority have already drafted a regulation in this regard and it has been referred to the Legal Draftsman’s Department for approval. However, the Attorney General undertook the responsibility of implement this new regulation which upholds the concept of environmental justice and good governance in the interest of the general public.

Centre for Environmental Justice had filed this writ petition before Court of Appeal in 2009 seeking an order nature of a writ of mandamus directing the CEA to implement a regulation on erection of banners, hoardings and posters to prevent visual pollution and defacement of scenic places in the country.

During the time of this petition was filed in Court, the petitioner stated that unauthorized posters, banners and hoardings, many with different sizes, colours and shapes were seen desecrated the cities and major towns with the announcement of the Provincial Council Elections in 2009.

“They have been erected in front and near the educational institutions, religious places of worship, buildings of national importance, historical monuments and places of scenic beauty and visual quality completely obliterating such structures and vistas; they even occupy pavements causing obstruction to pedestrian movements.”The petitioner stated that many cities and towns have high densities of posters billboards and hoardings, especially in places where there is a lot of pedestrian and motor traffic. Because of lack of space in cities, they are painted or hung on the sides of buildings.

Posters billboards and hoardings on highways cause too much clearing of trees and intrude on the surrounding vistas and landscape causing visual pollution obscuring scenic views, and a fall in prestige of the area with their bright colours, lights and large fonts making it hard to focus on anything else and some of them are fixed to trees, damaging them.

Billboards and hoardings have long being accused of being distractive to drivers and causing accidents since signs with bright colours and eye-grabbing pictures may cause drivers to look away from the road during a crucial moment. Many vehicles and pedestrians have been damaged and injured when hoarding crashed down on them.