Illegal Banner Nuisance

Thursday, 3 July 2008

Illegal Banner Nuisance

MPSJ kept busy removing unlicensed buntings and banners in the municipality

THEY are everywhere! Illegal buntings and banners appear like mushrooms after rain.

They appear at every nook and corner making Subang Jaya appear like a “Banner/Bunting City”.

As fast as the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) can take them down, those who put them up on street poles, trees, telephone poles and walls seem to be working even at at a faster pace.

Over the last month, there has been a significant increase in the number of these illegal advertisements, especially those which offer money lending services.

Coming in close in second spot are signages which “inform” people of houses which are up for auction, followed by tuition classes advertisements.

MPSJ's management services director Muhammad Azli Miswan said the council deemed the placing of such material a nuisance.

“We have teams going out constantly to remove these materials from public property.”

“Directors of the different departments also take their own teams out to remove the illegal buntings and banners in the municipality,” he said during an exercise led by him to remove these materials in SS14 recently.

Muhammad Azli said officers would note down the details on the buntings and banners which they then submitted to the council's legal department for follow-up action.

“Compounds will be issued for those we can trace.”

“We face an uphill task as information derived from the banners and buntings is not sufficient for us to pursue most of the time,” he added.

Except for those which offer money lending and unlawful services, businesses which wanted to erect banners and buntings can obtain licenses quite easily at MPSJ.

Muhammad Azli said all they had to do was identify the area where they wanted to place their advertising material and submit them to the council.

“They have to specify the duration for which the banners and buntings are to be placed.”

“If the area is suitable and unoccupied by others, the approval is immediate,” he said.

Telephone booths, TNB structures and even the walls of shop lots have not been spared.

Most operators who are engaged to erect these buntings and banners work at night, driving around with small lorries and a ladder.

Some even click a photograph after putting the materials up.

Apart from being an eyesore, improperly erected banners and buntings can pose a danger to motorists, if the material were to suddenly drop and fall on unsuspecting motorists or passerby.

Muhammad Azli said residents could also help by removing such material around their neighborhood.