Many of these billboards are illegal, which are being demolished by the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC). Another reason is the abuse of discretionary power by the officials of DCC in permitting the billboards.

DCC, while giving permission for new billboards, hardly takes into consideration the aesthetic beauty of the city. As a result, the legal billboards are becoming eyesores to the passers-by.

There is no specific guideline for putting billboards.

Khondaker Hasibul Kabir, a landscape architect and lecturer of BRAC University, said that there should be proper rules about how a billboard can be erected in different areas. The size, height, intensity of colours and direction of light are also important.

"The question of aesthetic beauty is relative. Before giving permission for a billboard it is important to see in which area it is being erected. There should be specific rules for different zones like commercial, residential or shopping zones," said Kabir.

"If we put a billboard beside a road then we will have to know the characteristics of the road also. Because every place has its own essence and this should be taken into consideration. It is important whether the billboard is obstructing the view of a garden. It is important for me whether I can see the sky. The rules should be more specific and detailed," he said.

There are 717 authorised hoardings in Dhaka city of which 367 are on the DCC, PWD or Roads and Highways land and 350 on private properties. The officials said it is not possible to ascertain the number of illegal billboards.

An applicant needs the approval of the Traffic Engineering Department and Beautification Cell of DCC to erect a billboard in the city. If these two departments have no objection, then the application is sent to the DCC board meeting for the permission.

During the long bureaucratic process none apparently looks into the aesthetic aspect of the city. Even the Beautification Cell does not consider it.

When asked why innumerable billboards were being permitted in the board meeting that is damaging the city's aesthetic beauty, a DCC official who attends the meeting said: "We approve what comes to us through official procedure. We do not have time to think of beauty."

Kamruzzaman Chowdhury, chief estate officer of DCC, said there is same rule for the whole city. "There is no specific rule for different areas -- no rule about the intensity of colour and direction of light on the billboards."

When asked about taking into consideration the aesthetic beauty before giving permission, he said: "We take the opinion of the Beautification Cell."

According to rules, the maximum size of a billboard should be 600 square feet. There is a surveyor group of DCC that monitors if anyone has crossed the permissible limit but it is not always possible to find out any violation of the rules.