Hundreds of business houses, educational institutions, hospitals, clinics and pathological laboratories, real estate companies, and even some government organisations have violated the municipal laws to dig up roads and pavements to install overhead steel arches to advertise their company.

As the overhead signboards have made roads narrow and risky in the city, the DCC will start a drive to remove those from February 1.

This correspondent in a trip through Rokeya Sarani, Mirur Road, Mazar Road and Satmasjid Road and Airport Road found that overhead signboards exist in most of the connecting points of the roads specially where the roads are connected with the arterial roads near residential areas.

Many points were seen with three or four signboards set up on different pillars. Besides, there is an ugly competition for showing face among those signboards with one signboard covering other's face.

Standing with long iron pillars at the connecting points of the roads, the overhead signboards have narrowed the roads by 5 to 10 feet. It was found that small roadside shops too occupied some road spaces maintaining a line with the long iron pillars.

Being unmarked on the road, these iron pillars are also causing accidents.

During storm or even in gusty wind, these signboards often fall on the roads and block movement of vehicles. Sometimes passers-by are injured.

Moinul Haque, a resident at Dhanmondi said, "These signboards are hiding the sky from out view and creating risks for the people."

In the trip it was found that the biggest portion of these signboards in the city are of different types of educational institutions, followed some others set up by real estate companies and medical institutions.

Violating the rules and regulations of the city corporation, both the government and private institutions set up these illegal signboards.

Nazrul Institute, a state-run cultural organisation, set up three big overhead signboards on road 27, road 28 and Mirpur Road in Dhanmondi. DCC authorities said the institute does not have any permission for setting up such signboards while the institute officials claimed that they have permission.

Another signboard on Mirpur Road at the end of Manik Mia Avenue belongs to a real estate company named Siza Development Company Ltd. Saifur Rahman, general manager of the company, said he was not aware of DCC's illegal signboard demolition drive. He said they have permission for setting up the signboard and he pays DCC for it.

Md Kamruzzaman Chowdhury, estate officer of the DCC, told Star City that the corporation in a circular has asked the companies concerned to remove their signboards by January 31. From February 1, DCC will conduct a drive against the illegal overhead signboards.

He said that owners of those illegal overhead signboards would face criminal case if they did not remove those.