Illegal hoardings: 2 PCMC officials toldto explain inaction

PIMPRI CHINCHWAD: The civic body on Wednesday issued show cause notices to two licence inspectors from the sky sign and licensing department for failing to remove the unauthorized hoardings from their respective wards.

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) commissioner Shekhar Singh had instructed a fresh survey of authorized and unauthorized hoardings to check violations related to size and safety of the structures. He had warned of criminal action against license inspectors in case of mismatched information. The two show cause notices, copies of which are with TOI, stated, "As per the verbal and written orders on May 25 to remove the hoarding near Nashik Phata and Krishna hotel near Kiwle, which were found to be violating guidelines of state outdoor media policy, no action has been taken."

PCMC additional commissioner, Jitendra Wagh, told TOI, "We are acting against 434 unauthorized hoardings first, which have not complied with safety guidelines. Issuance of show cause notice is a reminder that we have a zero-tolerance policy."

Nilesh Deshmukh, head of the sky sign and licensing department, told TOI, "So far, 140 have already been removed by respective owners. The civic body has taken action against 17 hoardings. We are short on manpower, but will hire more contractors,"he said.

Hoarding crashes in Hinjewadi

Pre-monsoon showers and winds resulted in a hoarding crash near Laxmi chowk in the Hinjewadi area. No one was injured in the incident.