Hoarding falls on Ahmednagar Road, vehicles damaged

The issue of illegal hoardings within the Pune Metropolitan Development Authority (PMRDA) limit has once again come to fore even as officials say they will take necessary action in the matter after the Lok Sabha (LS) polls

After a hoarding collapsed in Ubalenagar on Ahmednagar Road near Wagholi on Wednesday, the issue of illegal hoardings within the Pune Metropolitan Development Authority (PMRDA) limit has once again come up even as officials say they will take necessary action in the matter after the Lok Sabha (LS) polls.

A hoarding outside a private vehicle showroom fell on a car at Ahmednagar Road and also damaged four to five other vehicles, according to the PMRDA fire brigade. (HT PHOTO)

During heavy rain and gusty winds in Wagholi Wednesday evening, a hoarding outside private vehicle showroom fell on a car at Ahmednagar Road and also damaged four to five other vehicles, according to the PMRDA fire brigade. This caused a big traffic jam on the highway, especially near Kaveri Hotel but fortunately, no casualties were reported.

While the PMRDA fire brigade and Lonikand police are working to clear the fallen signboard and no casualty has been reported, there are concerns over the safety of such hoardings.

Kunda Shinde, a resident of Ubalenagar, said, “It was a very frightening experience. I heard a loud noise as the hoarding collapsed. It is a very dangerous situation on the Pune-Ahmednagar highway, which witnesses heavy traffic.”

“There are numerous large hoardings on either side of the road, posing a risk to public safety. Following this incident, it is important for the planning authorities to take action and remove hazardous hoardings located close to residential areas to prevent any future accidents,” Shinde said.

Sunil Marale, joint director of planning, PMRDA, said, “We are carrying out a survey of illegal hoardings in the PMRDA region. Till date, we found around 700 illegal hoardings. We first framed a policy last year for hoardings. We are conducting a survey which is still going on. Now, we have decided to demolish unauthorised hoardings and for that, we have floated a tender in January. However, we did not get any response. Therefore, we once again floated a tender in the month of February to which we got a response from three agencies.”

“We sorted out the agency. But, due to the model code of conduct, we cannot give work orders to the selected agency. Now, the work order will be given only after the model code of conduct ceases to exist and only after that will we remove the unauthorised structures,” Marale said.

On April 17, 2023, a hoarding fell down at Kiwale, killing five persons. A month later, two hoardings crashed in the Marunji village in Hinjewadi. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported. The mishaps caused panic among the residents of the PMRDA region and they demanded better safety measures and removal of unauthorised hoardings from the area.

There are 842 villages and a surrounding area of 7,357 square kilometres within the PMRDA jurisdiction, and this includes state and national highways, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), and the cities of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad and several other villages. In the PMRDA region, hoardings are put up along important roads like the Pune-Mumbai Expressway, Pune-Nashik Highway, Pune-Satara Highway, and Pune Aurangabad Highway.