Pune : PMC to conduct structural audit to identify unauthorized hoardings 

November 10, 2023

Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) sky sign department has decided to perform a structural audit of all advertisement boards in the city to identify unauthorized hoardings, after taking serious note of the owners of various hoarding spaces’ tardiness in renewing their licenses.

Following a seven-day deadline for over 1,500 hoarding owners who have not renewed their licenses, a decision was made. Notably, there have been instances where the license renewal fee has been unpaid for the previous five years.

Madhav Jagtap, the deputy commissioner of the PMC, directed all assistant commissioners to take firm measures against non-compliant hoarding owners during a recent meeting.

Only 245 of the 1,826 hoarding licenses in the city that are scheduled for renewal in the current fiscal year have requested extensions, according to the PMC.

Hoarding owners are required by the civic body to provide a structural audit report at the time of license renewal. From a safety perspective, it is also risky to not renew licenses on time.

According to Madhav Jagtap, Deputy Commissioner, PMC Encroachment/Illegal Construction Department, owners of hoarding spaces have received notices from the civic body requiring them to renew their licenses within a week. Some license holders followed the notice, but others did not come forward to renew their licenses. Strict measures, like removing hoardings, are being considered against them.

Speaking to Pune Pulse, Qaneez Sukhrani, Pune Citizen Activist said, “Hoardings are a huge thing. Even if the PMC gives notice, the hoarding people, who have not followed the rules, will not take it seriously as it will take a lot of time to remove the unauthorized hoardings. Hoardings are a revenue-generating income for the PMC. So, will the PMC allow this to happen? Also, is it practical to remove thousands of hoardings? This is just a joke.”

Shreyas Vange