Municipal Officials Inspecting Illegal Hoarding Chased Away; Additional Commissioner Vows Action

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) directed the removal of illegal hoardings and banners across the city last year. However, at Tilak Chowk, behind the Assistant Commissioner of Police’s office, an iron hoarding board that was previously taken down by the civic body has resurfaced. Locals claim that influential people are backing the hoarding owners, and PMC is not taking action against them.

The issue first came to light when the hoarding, originally composed of three separate billboards, was merged into a single large structure. Following media reports exposing the violation of hoarding regulations, the then municipal commissioner intervened, banning advertisements on the hoarding and suspending three employees of the Kasba-Vishrambagh regional office. This action was taken in February 2023, leading to the removal of the hoarding as per the court’s directive.

However, a year later, the same owner has once again attempted to reinstall the hoarding at the same location. On Friday, municipal officials who visited the site to inspect permissions were reportedly chased away. A video of the incident, showing officials being forcefully pushed back even in the presence of police, has since surfaced.

Swati Shinde, a local resident, said, “I fail to understand—if the hoarding owner had legal permission, why was it not presented to the municipal authorities? Also, if both the Finance Officer and Additional Municipal Commissioner state that hoardings are not permitted, who authorised this reinstallation? This incident suggests that there is no fear of the law, and illegal hoardings could become an uncontrollable menace in the city if action is not taken.”

Additional Commissioner Prithviraj BP said, “No permission was granted for reinstalling the hoarding, and authorities had warned of legal action against those responsible. Despite this, the hoarding’s structure has been re-erected using nuts and bolts on the previously cut iron foundation. Action will be taken against those responsible.”