Pune : Agencies without safety audit of legal hoardings to face action
Pune : Agencies without safety audit of legal hoardings to face action
By: Pune Pulse
December 3, 2023
Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will begin filing offences against advertising agencies from Friday (November 30).
According to Madhav Jagtap, Deputy Commissioner, License & Sky Sign Department, PMC, “Hoardings were only deemed lawful by the administration upon the presentation of all necessary documentation. It is mandatory for advertising agencies to provide structural audit reports to the civic administration each time their 11-month contract is renewed. Many of them, though, haven’t followed through. The PMC will take legal action against companies that don’t comply.”
It is worthy to note that a structural assessment of every hoarding is required before contract renewal. Since the contracts for 1,350 hoardings have not been renewed with the submission of all safety documentation, the structural stability of those buildings is currently being scrutinized.
It should be mentioned that in April 2023, a hoarding collapsed in Kiwale village, prompting the civic body to order a survey –
This year’s survey by PMC found that there are approximately 2,624 illegal hoardings and 1,600 legal ones in the civic areas. Activists have claimed that the number of illegal hoardings was rising because of the vested interests of certain government officials and advertising agencies. They claimed that the nexus even caused the delay in submitting structural audits of legal hoardings.
PMC officials warned that if the contract for the legal hoardings in their jurisdiction was not renewed after reviewing all safety and other necessary documents, not only the negligent advertising agencies but even the civic officials involved would face consequences.
