Deputy Commissioners of Pune Municipal Corporation Under Fire for Ignoring Hoarding Safety Audit
Pune, 31st May 2023: The Deputy Commissioners of Zones under Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have come under scrutiny for neglecting the ordered structural audit of hoardings in Pune, posing potential risks to public safety. Following a show cause notice, 1,600 hoardings were audited, while reports from 391 others remain pending, prompting action against the defaulting parties.
The urgency for the audit arose after an unfortunate incident where an unauthorized hoarding collapsed during unseasonal rains, claiming the lives of five individuals within the jurisdiction of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).
In response, PMC Additional Commissioner Dr Kunal Khemnar ordered an inspection of hoardings to mitigate potential risks, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted heavy rain and strong winds, heightening the likelihood of accidents, financial losses, and traffic disruptions.
To avert such incidents, professionals were tasked with conducting a comprehensive structural audit and submitting their findings within the next 15 days. Non-compliance would deem the hoardings unauthorized, prompting notices for their removal. Despite the directive to take action against unauthorized hoardings, the Zonal Deputy Commissioners have failed to submit any structural audit reports.
Consequently, a meeting was held today with Additional Commissioner Khemnar, who warned of impending action against the Zonal Deputy Commissioners for their lack of response. The meeting revealed that 390 hoardings remained unaudited, while 1,930 hoardings had undergone the required structural assessment. As a result, Khemnar ordered the immediate removal of the 390 unaudited hoardings.
It was highlighted that the city still harbors 947 unauthorized hoardings despite the earlier directive to remove them all by the end of May. Out of the total 2,214 unauthorized hoardings, only 1,247 have been eliminated so far, necessitating action against the remaining 947 non-compliant hoardings, according to Khemnar.
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