No hoarding permits in Pimpri-Chinchwad for next two months

A meeting attended by hoarding owners and officials in Akurdi in the first week of April

In view of anticipated unseasonal rain and gusty winds in the coming days, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has decided not to hand out permissions for hoardings for the next two months.

The civic body has issued a directive to all hoarding owners to refrain from displaying any advertisements on hoardings between April 15 and June 15. This precautionary measure aims to prevent accidents caused by hoarding collapses during stormy weather.

The sky signs and licensing department of the civic body has issued instructions asking that all hoardings remain empty during these two months. The officials said that hoarding owners have been directed to inspect and immediately carry out repairs if necessary. The appropriate locking mechanisms should also be put in place to secure hoardings after verification.

PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh, said, "Strong winds during the pre-monsoon season pose a serious threat of hoarding collapses. As a precautionary measure, for the first time, hoardings must remain vacant from April 15 to June 15. Any damaged structures must be repaired immediately to ensure public safety."

Advertisers' concerns

In a recent meeting held between civic officials and hoarding owners, various issues were raised by the advertising agencies. Several hoarding structure certificates are allegedly issued in a ‘copy-paste' format without proper structural assessment. Despite state government regulations mandating clear measurements, height, and structural stability checks, the rules are often ignored. The hoardings above 40 feet in height and banners larger than 30 feet by 40 feet are reportedly going unchecked. Also, many hoardings do not display size and ownership details on the mandated 4x3-foot display boards.

Officials assured that a separate meeting would be convened soon to address these concerns and the grievances included the lack of responsiveness to complaints made via email and WhatsApp, and challenges faced by hoarding operators from the revenue, garden and zonal offices.

Past tragedy

Officials stated that following the Kiwale tragedy on April 17, 2023 - in which five labourers were killed when an illegal hoarding collapsed - the PCMC mandated that structural stability certificates from the College of Engineering, Pune are needed for new hoardings. After the mishap, the PCMC demolished over 17,000 illegal hoardings across the city. Only around 1400 hoardings are currently considered authorised, according to the sky signs department. Despite stricter regulations since the accident, repeated violations by hoarding owners continue to surface.