Illegal Hoardings in Pimpri Chinchwad: 72 Booked Following Civic Survey

Pune, 23rd May 2024: Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has filed FIRs against 72 individuals, including hoarding owners, landowners, and advertisers, related to 24 illegal hoardings identified in a recent civic survey. This action follows the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse incident, prompting Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh to order a thorough survey of illegal hoardings.

The police have charged each illegal hoarding owner, the landowner where the hoarding was erected, and the advertisers who utilized these hoardings under Section 336 of the IPC, along with Section 3 of the Prevention of Property Defacement Act, and Sections 3 and 4 of the Municipal Corporation Act. The case has been registered at the Pimpri police station.

In a special drive that began on Monday, the civic body has already removed nine of the 24 illegal hoardings, while hoarding owners have voluntarily dismantled 11 structures.

Commissioner Singh emphasized a zero-tolerance approach to illegal hoardings, stating, “FIRs have been lodged against all identified hoarding owners, and we will remove every identified unauthorized structure. We will implement a new structural audit format that clarifies instructions and assigns responsibility, ensuring hoarding owners do not evade accountability. Surveys and action against them will be a continuous process.”

Additionally, civic officials have identified 341 hoardings that exceed permitted size limits as per their licenses. Sandip Khot, Deputy Municipal Commissioner and head of PCMC’s Sky Sign Department, stated that owners of these hoardings will be served notices to rectify their sizes. “A demolition drive will be initiated if they fail to act on their own,” he warned.

A senior officer from PCMC’s Sky Sign Department advised advertisers and landowners to ensure hoarding owners obtain proper permissions from PCMC’s Sky Sign and License Department before erecting hoardings on their properties to avoid legal action. “Non-compliance or any rule violations will result in legal action against the hoarding owners, landowners, and advertisers concerned,” he said.

Currently, there are 1,136 authorized hoardings within PCMC limits.