PMC orders safety audit of hoardings in Pune 

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has identified 85 of the 2,518 total hoardings across the city as unauthorised with most illegal structures erected in the Hadapsar-Mundhwa area, civic officials said on Tuesday. The civic body has also ordered a safety audit of all the hoardings in the wake of a giant hoarding collapse incident in Mumbai on Monday.  

Following the Mumbai incident, municipal commissioner Rajendra Bhosale met with the sky sign department and other related departments on Tuesday to conduct a review of hoardings throughout the city. 

According to PMC records, there are 85 illegal hoardings in the city, 84 of which are in the Hadapsar-Mundhwa area and one in Aundh Baner. 

Bhosale commented after the meeting, “In light of the rainy season, instructions were given to all officers concerned and ward officers to conduct a structural audit and submit the report within the next two days. We have instructed the administration to take swift action against illegal hoarding. If the action had not been taken, the concerned officers involved would face consequences.” 

If the hoarding is defective or hazardous, PMC would remove it as soon as possible, he said.  

The Municipal Commissioner had directed that there should be no illegal hoardings in the city. 

There have been incidences in the past where Pune residents have been at the receiving end as a result of hoarding collapses. A few years back, a huge hoarding came down crashing near Mal Dhakka Chowk, while last year, in a similar incident, a banner fell in the Wakad area.