A day after Tata Motors launched the Nano with much fanfare, it has been dashed off with a penalty notice by the BMC for putting up 14 unauthorised hoardings across the venue where the launch function took place at Marine Drive.
“They had set up the hoardings on poles without taking permissions. So we have served a notice to the owners of Tata Motors (Ratan Tata) and to Parsi Gymkhana (P.C. Cooper) where the function was held,” said Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Zone I) Kishore Kshirsagar.
The notice, said Kshirsagar, asks them to pay a fine amount of Rs 1,12,896 for putting up 14 10x10 ft advertisements outside Parsi Gymkhana.
“This is against Section 328 under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act that requires them to take civic permissions to put up any hoarding,” he added.
The civic body noticed the hoardings had been put up on Monday itself, the day Nano was launched.
“On Tuesday morning we served the notice and also asked them to remove the hoardings. If they do not pay the fines, both the owners will be prosecuted,” he said.
Kimatrai Anuja, spokesperson for Tata Motors said, “We have all the necessary permissions required for the event and hoardings and we can prove it,” she said. “We have a meeting with the BMC on Wednesday morning and the picture will be clear then,” she added.
{{/usCountry}}Kimatrai Anuja, spokesperson for Tata Motors said, “We have all the necessary permissions required for the event and hoardings and we can prove it,” she said. “We have a meeting with the BMC on Wednesday morning and the picture will be clear then,” she added.
{{/usCountry}}Damboora Mazzabar, president of the Parsi Gymkhana said, “I am yet to check on that (the notice). But according to the information with me, Tata Motors had taken 23 permissions from different authorities for all the arrangements.”
A member of Showdiff, the event management company that was in charge of the Nano launch event, said all necessary permissions were taken and they were not aware of any notice.