PCMC will spend Rs 3.5 crore to remove illegal hoardings

PIMPRI CHINCHWAD: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation will spend Rs 3.5 crore to remove 600 unauthorized hoardings in the municipal limits in 2018-19.
The standing committee approved a short notice resolution to allocate Rs 2.5 crore to remove additional 300 unauthorized hoardings. The resolution stated that the civic administration had given a two-year contract to remove the 300 hoardings and Rs 1 crore was allotted for the same. The work is in progress however, it will require more money so the additional commissioner demanded an additional provision of Rs 50 lakh to be made for the same. But Rs 2.5 crore was allotted to remove 300 more unauthorized hoardings.

However, Datta Sane, the opposition leader, feels the civic body will have to make a bigger provision as there are more hoardings in the city.

Two persons died when hoardings collapsed on June 1, 2018 during heavy rains. Also recently, four people died in Pune city while a hoarding was being removed. Various social organizations, corporators, civic office bearers and police officers had informed the civic body about the measures to be taken to prevent such mishaps. The High Court too gave a directive that unauthorized hoardings be removed from the city.

A civic official said there are 1,850 authorized hoardings in Pimpri Chinchwad. A total of 125 unauthorized hoardings have been removed till now. Criminal complaints have been lodged against 25 people for the unauthorized hoardings.

Datta Sane said the civic body is losing income due to the unauthorized hoardings. “They mar the beauty of the city. So PCMC must remove all unauthorized hoardings and take action against people who have put them up,” he said.