A major tussle between the Railways and the BMC will soon unfold in the Bombay High Court. The Railways has decided to challenge a policy framed by the civic body making it mandatory for the former to secure permission before allowing erection of hoardings on its land facing public roads, and to pay license fees to the corporation.
A major tussle between the Railways and the BMC will soon unfold in the Bombay High Court. The Railways has decided to challenge a policy framed by the civic body making it mandatory for the former to secure permission before allowing erection of hoardings on its land facing public roads, and to pay license fees to the corporation.
Advocate Suresh Kumar appearing for the Central and Western Railway informed the Bombay HC that railways has decided to challenge the policy framed by the civic body and would soon be moving a petition in HC, claiming that the policy is contrary to the provisions laid down in the Indian Railways Act and was eating into the revenue of the railways.
Western and Central Railways together earn around Rs 60 crore revenue annually by allowing advertisements on hoardings put up on their land. Kumar contended that as per Railways Act, the Railways do not need to take permission from BMC in view of section 11 (d) (a) of the Act. Further, under section 185 of the Railways act, no tax can be levied by any local authority on Railways for using its own land, he said.
The civic body, claims that Section 328 and 328-A of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act makes it mandatory for the railways to follow guidelines laid down by the civic body. It informed the court that there are 225 illegal hoardings on Central Railway and 240 on Western Railway.
Kumar informed the court about the decision, during the hearing of a petition filed by a private advertiser who has challenged the prior approval and payment of license fees to the BMC for constructing hoardings on railway land.
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