PMC begins hoardings’ audit, action on illegals to follow

Civic body removed an illegal hoarding in Bopodi on Saturday and the officials said that action will continue against other illegal hoardings erected in the city.

Pune: Following the incident of the 40-foot hoarding frame collapse in the city which claimed four lives, the Pune municipal corporation (PMC) has decided to conduct a structural audit of all the hoardings in the 15 wards of the city.

On Friday, four persons were killed after a giant hoarding frame collapsed at Juna Bazaar and police have arrested a section engineer from railways and a fabrication worker. (HT FILE PHOTO)

Vijay Dahibhate, chief, sky sign department, PMC said, “Against the backdrop of the incident of the hoarding collapse at the Shahir Amar Shaikh chowk near Junna Bazaar, we will be carrying out the structural audits of all the hoardings in the city within the PMC limits. All the legal as well as illegal hoardings will be scrutinised in the audit.”

The civic body removed an illegal hoarding in Bopodi on Saturday and the officials said that action will continue against other illegal hoardings erected in the city. “In the audit, all the parameters including the size of the hoardings, permissions, safety of the structure and positions of the hoardings will monitored. On Saturday, we initiated our drive from Bopodi where we have dismantled one illegal hoarding,” Dahibhate said.

Meanwhile, hoardings at the RTO chowk in the city, which also belongs to the railway department, has been identified as risky by the Pune municipal corporation (PMC), said the officials. Dahibate said, “The hoardings placed in front of the main gate of the RTO office are also violating the norms and needs to be removed. Despite reminders from PMC, the railway department has not acted on it and have not allowed us to take action too.”

Mukta Tilak, mayor, Pune said after the structural audit is done, PMC will remove all illegal and risky hoardings.

The total number of legal hoardings within PMC limits is 1,749, while the number of illegal hoardings within the PMC limits is 113. On Friday, four persons were killed after a giant hoarding frame collapsed at Juna Bazaar and police have arrested a section engineer from railways and a fabrication worker.