14 December,2010 07:59 AM IST | | Vivek Sabnis
Conducts massive drive to pull down hoardings, banners put up by parties
A day after MiD DAY reported that BJP party workers had installed a 61-feet hoarding to celebrate Gopinath Munde's birthday, the PMC has swung into action and conducted a massive drive to remove chamcha hoardings.
The anti-encroachment department has ordered all the ward offices to pull down such chamcha hoardings and banners immediately.
BJP workers said they would remove the hoarding put up to wish Munde today.
Former PMC local BJP corporator Shrinath Bhimale had reportedly not taken any permission from the ward
office or from the anti-encroachment and the Sky Sign Department of the PMC to install the hoarding.
Sahakarnagar ward officer Sandhya Ghagare said, "Our anti-encroachment team has not only taken action but it has removed illegal hoardings. About 30 other hoardings in our jurisdiction were removed today with police bandobast. 160 banners were also removed from Bibwewadi and Sahakarnagar area."
Ghagare admitted it was not possible to penalise anyone. "We can't penaliseu00a0 as the issue is political," Ghagare said. Ramesh Shelar, head of anti-encroachment department, said: "We remove hoardings or banners under section 444 and 445 of the Bombay Provincial Municipal Act and Advertisement Control Rules, 2003. We confiscate the hoarding material which itself is costly and it is treated like a fine as the material is not returned," he said.u00a0u00a0u00a0
