Thu Jan 16 14:15:36 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu to Crack Down on Illegal Highway Advertisements

**Coimbatore, January 16, 2025** – The Tamil Nadu Highways Department has launched a statewide crackdown on illegal advertisement boards erected along highway roads. Following pressure from the Coimbatore Consumer Cause, the department issued directives to all District Collectors to remove all such boards within the highway right-of-way and medians.

The action is based on a 2016 government order prohibiting these advertisements. According to K. Kathirmathiyon of the Coimbatore Consumer Cause, the department’s secretary, R. Selvaraj, emphasized the 2016 order and the need to revoke any previously granted permissions for such boards. He noted that the advertisements violated Indian Road Congress norms.

While the central government has banned such ads on national highways, the state government requires a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Highways Department. However, many boards were erected without obtaining this necessary NOC.

The Coimbatore Consumer Cause threatened legal action if the advertisements weren’t removed within a month. In response, the Highways Department instructed the Director General to ensure strict compliance with Madras High Court orders and Indian Road Congress regulations. The department is taking immediate action to enforce the removal of all illegal highway advertisements.

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