Pune: Rs 6 lakh fine recovered from illegal hoarding owners

Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has started removing illegal hoardings, advertisements and billboards from main roads and various chowks.

As many as 740 such banners were removed in a drive conducted in the past eight days. Complaints were lodged with the police against 95 people in this connection. The Sky Sign Department of the PMC took action after directives from the Municipal Commissioner Dr Rajendra Bhosale.

Deputy Municipal Commissioner and Sky Sign Department Head Prashant Thombare said, “The civic body received many complaints of illegal hoardings on city roads. The civic chief has ordered to take action against such banners, billboards. Action has been started and it will continue in the future also.”

Illegal hoardings and banners have been set up in various city parts. Some banners in the chowks were blocking traffic signals. Unauthorised billboards were defacing the city. Citizens also lodged many complaints against such banners with the civic administration.

Hoardings congratulating newly elected MLAs were raised in many chowks.

Doubts were raised about the functioning of the Sky Sign Department as action was not taken against illegal hoardings in the city. Municipal Commissioner Dr Rajendra Bhosale looked into the matter and instructed the civic administration to remove such banners.

Then the department implemented a special drive and demolished 740 unauthorised hoardings. The department also collected fines amounting to Rs 6.67 lakh from these hoarding owners. This was revealed by civic officials.

As many as 95 people were booked for defacing the city. The PMC appealed to political parties, office-bearers and workers to not set up banners or posters after the results of the State polls were declared. The civic body warned that action would be taken against violators under sections 244 and 245 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act.

However, billboards were raised ignoring the PMC warning. It was observed that the number of such banners was rising. Thus, the civic body decided to act against illegal hoardings. Civic officials said that action would continue in the future too.