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Most of Chennai's hoardings are aesthetic eyesores during the day.
 But just look at what horrors they turn into at night! Bright splashes of blinding light, often whirling forms of design intended to catch the eye. Indeed, they do more than that. They burn into your head, possible triggers for a number of ailments, as you drive down long stretches of main roads choked with traffic. The problem has become worse, with the numerous new flyovers that bring the neon lights flashing almost at your eye level.
Mumbai has taken the first step in India to seek a ban on neon lights and signs, especially along the Marine Drive, where these blazing boards have totally ruined that elegant string of gas-lit lamps along the centre of the Drive, which formed the famous Queen's Necklace. In a PIL filed by a resident of the area,
 the Mumbai High Court, in February this year, ordered that all such lights and signs in the city be switched off by 11 p.m. The PIL was the result of several complaints of health disorders caused by these lights.
A study conducted by the International Institute of Sustainable Future has found that continued direct contact with flashing neon rays affect only the eyes but the brain too. Patients complained of sleepiness, fatigue, headaches and frequent mood changes. The study adds: "If one were to visit the places where the residents are disturbed by the lights, one would realize that it is insane to have such a medium of advertisement." A city Neurologist Dr. Banu says, "Neon lights may trigger off epilepsy and migraine in some persons."
Advertisers use every gimmick in their book to produce special effects in lighting.
 There are hoardings that flash, blink, change colors faster than a chameleon, that seem to move, that look almost real, all achieved by high expertise light effects. What destructive waste! Mumbai has shown the way. It is for cities like our Chennai to follow. It will certainly make for better road conditions for driving and improve citizens' health. If nothing else, such curbs will at least save precious electricity, which is undoubtedly one of the prime needs of the hour.
Akshaya
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