Billboards of the firms who didn't apply for renewal or registration to the DCC authorities have been identified as illegal.

A total of 418 firms have so far applied for renewal or registration through paying tax to DCC. New firms have applied for registration and old ones for renewal.

"We dismantled two billboards from Hatirjheel area on Tongi Diversion Road, two from southwestern corner of Saarc fountain in Panthapath and one from Saatrasta in Tejgaon," said DCC's Chief Estate Officer Abu Taleb, who is also member secretary of the committee to approve space for installation of advertisements.

Three teams comprising DCC officials, two magistrates and police conducted the drive in between 10.30pm and 4.30am, he said, adding that the drive was conducted at night as it would create traffic congestion during daytime.

Only five billboards were dismantled on the first night as it takes a lot of time to dismantle strongly installed billboards, another official said.

DCC identified 519 illegal billboards in eight out of its 10 zones. Illegal billboards in two other zones named zone-9 in Gulshan and zone-2 in Sutrapur are yet to be identified, said a DCC official of Estate Department.

The rate according to the tax schedule of 2002 was Tk 3 per square foot (sft) for billboards on private property and Tk 6 per sft on DCC or government owned land, which were increased to Tk 50 and Tk 150 in 2003.

The rate for neon signs on private and government land was Tk 30 per sft, which was increased to Tk 75 and Tk 150.

The DCC has fixed a target of collecting revenue of Tk 12 crore from the advertisement sector in the FY 2005-06 although it earned only Tk 10 lakh in the last fiscal.

Most of the billboard firms opposed increasing the tax rates by DCC in 2003.

DCC's next drive will be conducted after scrutinising the applications of the advertisement firms, sources said.