Chattogram begins citywide billboard removal, mayor says ‘no pressure’

Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Shahadat Hossain has launched an operation to remove illegal billboards, declaring that the port city will be cleared of all such structures.

During eviction drive at Kazir Dewri intersection around 3pm on Thursday, the mayor said no type of billboard would be permitted in the city and that some had been put up during the election period without consulting the authorities.

“We are now seeing these structures. We are trying to identify who installed them,” he said. “Since we have not yet been able to identify those responsible, we are removing them ourselves.”

The mayor led the removal of billboard pillars installed along the road adjacent to Chattogram Circuit House.

He said digital signboards and LED displays, like those seen in Dhaka and other cities, would be approved. 

“Large billboards that damage the city’s aesthetics will not be allowed. Wherever they have been set up, they will be removed,” he added.

Shahadat dismissed any suggestions of political interference, asserting that no "political musclemen" or influential figures would be able to halt the process. 

He pointed out that he has not compromised in any area and is under no pressure, saying the drive itself is “proof of the administration's sincere intent”.

City corporation officials confirmed that the eviction drive, which began on Thursday, will continue across the entire city in phases until the streets are cleared.