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391 hoardings stand without structural audit: PMC survey
A Pune Municipal Corporation survey has found 391 hoardings installed without structural audit, with the highest number under the Ahmednagar Road-Wadgaon Sheri areas. Advertising agencies are now required to conduct the audit and submit a report following the collapse of a hoarding in Kiwale last month in which five people died. The civic administration has razed 10 illegal hoardings this week as part of a drive across 15 ward offices, with verification of structural stability ongoing. The PMC has spent around ?4.5 crore ($615,000) on clearing illegal hoardings and collected a fine of ?52.5 lakh.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) survey carried out during the past one month has found that 391 hoardings were installed without structural audit.
The civic administration has made it mandatory for advertising agencies to conduct structural audit of hoardings and submit report following a hoarding collapse incident at Kiwale on April 17 in which five persons lost their lives
The data shows that the highest number of hoardings without structural stability certificate are located under the Ahmednagar Road-Wadgaon Sheri areas (115), followed by Shivajinagar-Ghole Road ward office (84). Hoardings installed at Kothrud, Yerawada, Sinhagad Road and Kondhwa areas follow structural audit norms.
As per the civic officials, 10 hoardings have been razed this week as part of drive against illegal structures across 15 ward offices. The survey of illegal hoardings and verification of structural stability is underway. The civic administration is also checking mandatory QR codes on hoardings.
“The drive against illegal hoardings will continues,” said Kunal Khemnar, additional commissioner, PMC.
As per PMC’s survey, the civic areas had around 2,624 illegal hoardings and around 1,247 were removed last year. The civic body has spent around ₹4.5 crore on clearing illegal hoardings and collected a fine of ₹52.5 lakh. The PMC areas have 1,932 legal hoardings.
