NMC removes illegal billboards across city
In a glaring instance of administrative apathy, the skysign department recently found that 281 out of 385 hoardings across the city were still active and have collectively defaulted on mandatory civic body fees amounting to a staggering Rs3.94 crore.
In response, the department has started initiating action against such defaulters. Of the 281 live hoardings, 104 now face removal proceedings for non-payment of cumulative dues of Rs19.15 lakh.
The civic body has also begun a wider crackdown on unauthorised displays and advertisements.
Officials discovered several illegal shop boards mounted on commercial buildings without permission and a special campaign has been launched to remove such boards. "In one such case, the skysign department pulled down an unauthorised advertisement of M/s Pepsi Cold Drinks that was illegally erected on the wall of Blue Diamond Hotel near Dosar Bhavan Square on Central Avenue.
The 20x10 feet hoarding was installed without the approval of the competent authority," said deputy municipal commissioner (revenue) Milind Meshram.
A large hoarding placed illegally in front of Empress Mall was also removed as part of the ongoing drive. The special drive is being carried out by a special team led by a senior officer, Jitendra Tomar.
While municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari has set an ambitious revenue target of Rs9 crore from advertisements for 2025-26 fiscal, sources said achieving this figure may remain a pipedream unless illegal hoardings and shop signs are reined in.
Many of these hoardings are not just illegal but are allegedly allowed to remain in place by zonal offices that turn a blind eye to ignore violations for reasons best known to them. Civic activists argue that this unchecked parallel economy not only robs the NMC of rightful income but also clutters the urban skyline and compromises public safety.
"NMC's own officials are responsible for this mess. The hoarding sector has the capacity to generate major revenue, but due to deliberate negligence and internal complicity, the civic body is losing crores every year," said an official who did not wish to be named.
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