Gigantic advertising hoardings have been set up on the footpaths ignoring urban planning that has created scope for squatters to occupy sidewalks.

Apart from disregarding the provisions for the commuters' free movement and the onlookers' right to view natural sights, signboards and billboards on the road islands and road medians also raise the risk of accident.

Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) revenue department has leased out the sites to different advertising firms for erecting signboards and billboards violating rules, said city dwellers.

The department rents out the proposed sites on the basis of 13 conditions.

Condition No. 2 prevents installation of the hoardings and signboards that might hamper smooth movement of commuters or vehicles or harms the beauty of any firm.

Condition No. 7 & No. 8 said the installed signboards can't block the sun, air and hamper growth of neighbouring saplings or plants.

But, these conditions are hardly followed when the revenue department allows installation of signboards and billboards without proper inspection of the sites, sources said.

The hoardings and billboards block the view of natural sights and hinder growth of plants.

In many places, they are erected at such a height that makes movement of the pedestrians difficult on the footpaths.

Hidden behind gigantic hoardings, footpaths appear as "alienated" places and "suitable" for vendors to rule on.

Pedestrians are forced to avoid footpaths and walk through the roads where undeclared stoppages of public transports also make movement difficult.

CCC officials said they inspect the designated sites before renting it out and the advertising firms concerned are asked to install the signboards or billboards under the supervision of the officials of the engineering department.

"We look after the revenue and ask the firms to erect the signboards in consultation with our engineering department," said CCC Revenue Officer Abdus Sukkur.

The firms have covered all the natural sights and view of different establishments of eight-kilometre stretch of the city thoroughfare from Agrabad Barik Building to Bahodderhat intersection with advertising hoardings.

Intersections at GEC and Prabartak are the most affected areas of the onslaught of the phenomenon.

After installation of several hoardings in parallel with the boundary walls of GEC factory and Housing and Public Works Department Staff Colony along CDA Avenue at GEC Intersection, two new hoardings are now erected in parallel with the northwest boundary wall of GEC factory..

With the erection of two hoardings, the footpaths, which earlier remained shaded with shrubs and trees grown inside the GEC factory boundary, now go completely under the occupation of vendors making it impossible for the pedestrian to walk along.

Earlier, as per directive of mayor a hoarding installed in parallel with the boundary wall of the GEC factory on the CDA avenue was removed in 2003.

But, gigantic hoardings were installed on the same sites later on. Despite CCC directive the advertising firms are yet to remove them while the revenue department has allowed erection of two new hoardings along the northwest boundary of GEC factory.

Engineer Shubash Barua, also a town planner, said the unplanned erection of signboards and billboards has destroyed the look of the whole city. The practice is also violating the rights of the commuters and the onlookers.

Architect Zarina Hossain said responsibility of giving approval to the sites, measurement and lighting of any hoardings should have been given to those involved with planning function and urban development.

The revenue department can look after the matter of fixing rates and realising revenue, Zarina said.

Meanwhile, Forum for Planned Chittagong (FPC), a citizens' voluntary organisation, in a letter urged the mayor in April for steps to check the unplanned erection of billboards and signboards as well as clear the footpaths to facilitate the free movements of the pedestrians.

The urban planners also put forward several recommendations for planned erection of advertising hoardings, signboards and billboards.