A.P. SHAH, C.J.

W.P. Nos. 7143 of 2006 and 24154 of 2003 are filed in public interest, seeking inter alia, the issuance of appropriate writs, orders or directions to the respondents for the purpose of securing the removal of hoardings which continue to be erected and displayed unlawfully upon the public places and public lands in the city of Chennai. The grievance of the petitioners is that thousands of hoardings are erected on public lands, on the roadsides, on the pavements and platforms, and these hoardings are not only hazardous to traffic but also to public, since the pedestrians are compelled to walk on the roads facing risk to their lives. The State Exchequer is also losing revenue, since the owners of those hoardings are not paying any ground rent or advertisement tax. As a result, the Government is losing its revenue to the tune of Rs. 40 to 50 crores every year. It is also highlighted that almost all political parties in and around the city of Chennai are erecting innumerable hoardings all around the city. There are number of specifications for the erection of such hoardings within the limits of the Corporation, but none of the political parties seem to follow