Navi Mumbai: The Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) seized 320 unauthorised banners during Ganeshotsav and Dahi Handi celebrations in 2026 but reportedly failed to collect a single rupee in advertising fees, fines or penalties, raising questions over its enforcement of outdoor advertising regulations.
RTI Reveals Gap Between Banner Seizures And Penalty Recovery
Information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, by Arun Malappa Kagale, vice-president of Navi Mumbai-based Sajag Nagrik Manch, has revealed a significant gap between the civic body's reported enforcement action and the penalties imposed on those responsible for unauthorised displays.
According to the RTI response, the civic body received no applications and granted no permissions for flex banners, hoardings and advertising arches during the festive period. The revenue generated through such permissions was also recorded as nil. However, the same response stated that 320 banners had been seized during the period, with no corresponding recovery of fines.
Sajag Nagrik Manch Questions Effectiveness Of Civic Enforcement
The Manch has pointed out that merely removing or confiscating unauthorised banners does not constitute comprehensive enforcement. The civic administration must identify those responsible and initiate proceedings under applicable regulations. The absence of any recorded penalty recovery raises concerns about whether the action taken went beyond physical removal of the banners.
The issue also assumes significance in view of judicial directions on unauthorised hoardings and advertisements, including those arising from the Bombay High Court proceedings in Su-Swarajya Foundation vs State of Maharashtra.
Seeking greater transparency, the Manch has demanded an independent audit of the entire outdoor advertising and banner management system in Panvel. Its demands include ward-wise disclosure of the 320 seized banners, identification of those responsible, and publication of action-taken reports detailing penalties imposed and recovered.
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