Most Hoardings In Pune Illegal As Licenses Have Expired: PMC

Pune, 18th November 2023: Despite the expiration of licenses for 1,217 hoardings in the city, owners have not renewed them, causing a loss of crores of rupees to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Surprisingly, it has been revealed that the owners are profiting from displaying advertisements on hoardings with expired commercial licenses.

The PMC has set November 30 as the final deadline for hoarding renewal, and only 266 licenses have been renewed between April and November.

Erecting iron structures at key locations such as chowks, roads, buildings, and open spaces for advertising is a significant business in the city. The hoarding fee was Rs 222 per square foot until April 2023, when it was increased to Rs 580 per sq ft.

The Municipal Corporation, after a decade without a fee increase, raised it to Rs 580. Despite some hoarding businessmen filing a petition against this, there has been no relief.

According to the sky sign department report, 1,812 hoarding licenses need renewal for a three-year period from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2026. However, due to the fee hike, many businessmen have neglected to pay, resulting in only 245 professionals renewing their licenses after a meeting before Diwali.

Despite warnings that hoardings would be declared illegal if not renewed within seven days, only 19 professionals have renewed their licenses in the last 10 days. Presently, 266 renewals have been completed, contributing Rs 1 crore 67 lakh 71 thousand 175 to the municipal treasury, with 329 proposals pending at the municipal level.

With 1,217 hoarding professionals yet to submit proposals to the Pune Municipal Corporation, revenue losses of around Rs 20 crores have been incurred due to non-payment of fees. The administration has now set November 30 as the last renewal date.

Madhav Jagtap, Deputy Commissioner of the Sky Signs Department, emphasized that action would be taken to remove hoardings if licenses are not renewed by the November 30 deadline.

In five ward offices of the Municipal Corporation, including Nagar Road Ward Office, Aundh Baner, Ghole Road Shivajinagar, Kothrud Bavdhan, and Warje Karvenagar, not a single hoarding license has been renewed in the last eight months. Among these, 226 proposals are pending for administrative approval.

Key Statistics:
– Anticipated proposal for renewal of hoarding license: 1,812
– Proposals filed for renewal of license: 328
– Licenses Renewed: 266
– Fee received by PMC: Rs 1.67 crores
– Hoarding owners did not file renewal proposal: 1,217