PMC To Take Legal Action Against Pune Railway For Erecting Hoarding Without Permission
Pune, 25th January 2024: The Pune Railway has erected a large hoarding at Shahir Amar Sheikh Chowk in Juna Bazar, Pune, without obtaining the necessary permission from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). This has prompted the PMC to consider legal action against Pune Railway for violating the mandatory requirement for permission.
According to PMC, as per legal provisions, permission is required for the installation of hoardings within its limits. Despite this, the Pune Railway has defended its actions, claiming that no such permission is necessary.
In response, the PMC is set to file a petition in the Bombay High Court to address the violation. Additionally, the PMC plans to make a statement by erecting a 120-foot hoarding on the road footpath within its premises to draw attention to the issue.
To install large hoardings within PMC limits, individuals and government offices must seek approval from the Sky Sign and License Department of PMC. A license is a mandatory prerequisite for hoarding erection. The Sky Sign and License Department has revealed that the Pune Railway’s hoarding at Shahir Amar Sheikh Chowk in Juna Bazar was erected without the required license. PMC aims to rectify this by initiating legal proceedings to secure the removal of the unauthorized hoarding.
This incident adds to the growing concern over the unauthorized erection of hoardings in the city. With over 1,800 hoardings already present, PMC has been actively issuing notices to those without proper licenses. Strict regulations have been put in place, and the PMC has warned of impending action against violators. The Pune Railway’s hoardings in various locations, including RTO Chowk, are also under scrutiny for potential non-compliance with height and structural regulations.
Safety concerns surrounding hoardings have been amplified by past incidents, notably the collapse of a hoarding at Shahir Amar Sheikh Chowk in 2018. The incident resulted in the tragic loss of four lives. Despite warnings from the PMC’s aerial signage department since 2013, the Railway administration allegedly ignored the unauthorized and dangerous status of the hoarding. The PMC is now poised to address the current violation and uphold its policies through legal channels.
Efforts to obtain a response from the public relations officer of the Pune Railway proved futile at the time of reporting, leaving questions unanswered regarding the Pune Railway’s stance on the unauthorized hoarding and the impending legal action by the PMC.
Madhav Jagtap, Head of the Sky Sign and License Department at PMC, emphasized the importance of adhering to licensing regulations, stating, “The hoarding erected at Shahir Amar Sheikh Chowk within the railway limits has no permission from the Sky Sign and License Department of PMC. According to the new policy of the law, it is mandatory to get permission from PMC if hoarding is to be erected on the premises of government offices. PMC is going to file a petition in court regarding this hoarding.”
When contacted, a senior official from Pune railway division told Punekar News, “As per Railway Act, we are not supposed to take permission from the municipal corporation. We had conveyed this to the PMC when they had approached us.”
