PMC lodged just 24 FIRs against 3k illegal hoardings in Pune since January 2021
Civic activists have termed the PMC action as an eyewash and said that precious revenue which could have gone into the civic coffers has been lost due to the unprofessional conduct
Despite having over 3,000 unauthorised hoardings dotting the city skyline, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has only filed 24 FIRs against owners of the respective companies and sent 160 letters to the city police since January 2021. Civic activists have termed the PMC action as an eyewash and said that precious revenue which could have gone into the civic coffers has been lost due to the unprofessional conduct of PMC’s Sky Sign and Anti-Encroachment department.
The city has been defaced by a slew of political and commercial hoardings that were erected without permission from the PMC administration, resulting in massive revenue losses.
The civic body concedes that the city skyline has been defaced by illegal and unauthorised hoardings which need to be removed at the earliest. Some of the important strategic chowks in the city had been occupied by hoardings, which in turn had affected the free flow of traffic.
The PMC had to take action to get the hoardings removed, but it was a short-lived effort.
According to the Sky Sign department, around 2,000 hoardings are on official records and have necessary permits, while all other banners and hoardings, numbering around 3,000, are illegal and should be removed.
According to the Bombay Municipal Corporation Act, the PMC has the power to impose a penalty of ₹50,000 on each of the illegal hoardings and in case of non-payment, the same amount is transferred to the property tax amount of the property holder and recovered by the civic body.
However, PMC has been lax in recovering the said amounts and has shown poor inclination towards transferring the penalty amount into the property tax records.
Despite the high number of illegal hoardings in the city, the PMC was able to transfer only ₹50,000 fine to 45 violators. The PMC removed 268 illegal hoardings in 2019, and 372 illegal hoardings were removed in 2022.
“The skyline defacement being carried out by the violators is being taken very seriously,” said Madhav Jagtap, PMC anti-encroachment department deputy commissioner and in charge of Sky Signs and Permissions.
“Action has been undertaken against the illegal banners, flexes, posters, flags and also the commercial hoardings put up by business establishments without taking permissions and paying the fees to the corporation. We have sent 160 letters to the police requesting a criminal investigation, and 24 FIRs have been filed concerning the illegal hoardings,” he added.
