152 notices slapped on mobile companies for illegal ads in Pune

Vivo, Oppo among companies found violating PMC’s sky sign department’s advertisement norms at JM road, Tilak road, Camp and Koregaon Park

The Pune municipal corporation (PMC) has issued 152 notices to mobile companies for violating advertisement norms. Among the companies which have mainly flouted norms, by installing big bill boards infront of shops, are Oppo Electronics Corporation, Vivo Communication Technology Co Ltd and Samsung, said officials.

Officials said that by sponsoring advertisement boards in front of mobile shops, companies have violated advertisement rules.(Shankar narayan/ HT Photo)

The civic administration said that Vivo has 68 illegal advertisement boards in the city while Oppo has 84 such boards. Such boards were seen mainly on JM road, Tilak road, Pune Camp area, Koregaon Park.

The officials said that by sponsoring such advertisement boards infront of mobile shops, the companies have violated advertisement rules, adding that some of them are digital signboards.

Shiv Sena member Pramod Bhangire had raised this issue via a written question to the municipal commissioner Saurabh Rao and pointed out that the mobile companies are erecting big sign boards in front of mobile shops and violating various advertisement rules.

While giving a written reply to the elected member, the PMC administration accepted that such boards outside shops are not allowed as per the sky sign department’s policy. The shop owners can put boards only specified by the civic body.

The municipal administration pointed out that the mobile companies mainly Oppo, Vivo and Samsung sponsored such big boards for the shop owners and installed them illegally on shops.

Following Rao’s assurance, PMC’s sky sign department issued 152 notices in the city. “We have served notices to various mobile companies for 152 violations. We are awaiting their response,” said Rao.

The PMC administration said in a written reply that earlier shop owners neglected the notices issued by the civic body, but when PMC started taking legal action, the shop owners and mobile companies initiated the process to seek permission from the civic body.

Bhangire alleged that according to rules, the violators have to be fined three times the amount of installing the boards, but the administration is not doing so. It is a revenue loss for the PMC, added Bhangire.

It is mandatory to take permission of the civic body before installing any type of advertisement boards in the city

Numbers that matter

152- Number of illegal advertisement boards PMC has identified outside mobile shops

68- Number of illegal boards of Vivo as per PMC records

84- Number of illegal boards of Oppo as per PMC records

₹222- Rate per square feet for advertising permission implemented by PMC