Satara District Collector Jitendra Dudi has ordered a structural audit of the hoardings along the Pune-Bengaluru Highway. He emphasised that dangerous and unauthorised hoardings should be removed immediately. Dudi issued these instructions to district officials during a pre-monsoon meeting.
"A structural audit of the hoardings along the Pune-Bengaluru Highway should be conducted and submitted by June 5. Additionally, a report on the action taken against dangerous and unauthorised hoardings should also be submitted. Action should be taken according to the rules without succumbing to any pressure," Dudi said.
"The administration should take precautions to ensure that there is no harm to people and animals due to stormy winds and rains during the monsoon period," he added.
This directive follows the collapse of an oversised hoarding in Mumbai's Ghatkopar on May 13, which killed 17 and injured over a hundred people due to strong winds. In Pune's Loni Kalbhor, a similar incident occurred on May 18, injuring three men and a horse.
Action against illegal and unauthorised hoardings is being taken throughout the state as the monsoon approaches, possibly leading to collapses due to strong and gusty winds.
