Panvel civic body to remove all illegal hoardings by R-Day

STRICT ACTION Directs printing press units not to print any banner without its permission

NAVI MUMBAI: Following the Bombay high court’s order, the Panvel Municipal Council (PMC) has started removing all illegal hoardings and banners in its area.

The civic officials have decided to pull down such hoardings by Republic Day.

“Apart from removing hoardings and banners from roads and other public places, we have also started registering criminal cases against the violators at different police stations,” said a senior official from PMC.

“Similarly, we have also asked all the printing presses in the city not to print any banner and hoarding without our permission,” added the official.

Taking advantage of alleged lax attitude of the PMC, institutes, shops and political parties put banners at different places of Panvel such as near the rail- way station and ST bus depot among others.

“A person can put a hoarding or banner in any part of the city only after taking permission from the council. We have

started removing hoardings which were put without our permission. We will finish the task by Republic Day. Punitive measures will be taken if anyone violates the norms,” the

official said.

Residents blame the civic body for the illegal hoardings and posters which have been put up all across the city.

“People dare to put hoard- ings at public places as the civic authorities hardly take any action against them. If the authorities take such offences seriously and keep registering criminal cases against the culprits, the number of such hoardings will come down,” said Vishal Mhatre, 37, a resident of Panvel.

Meanwhile, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has started registering cases at police stations against those who put banners in the city without permission. One case has been registered with Kopar Khairane police station on Thursday.

In August 2014, the Bombay high court directed all municipal corporations of the state to take strict action against the illegal hoardings and banners that were defacing the city.

Unfortunately, both PMC and NMMC had been showing their lackadaisical attitudes even after that.

HT FILE Posters and banners in Navi Mumbai have come up because of the authorities’ lax attitude.