The Pune Municipal Corporation has removed unauthorised advertising flex boards installed along Sinhagad Road after a Civic Mirror report highlighted one board carrying the name and photograph of a police officer for a hotel inauguration.
The boards had been placed at several locations between the P. L. Deshpande Garden and Dhayari Phata, including the Rajaram Bridge Chowk area. One of them prominently displayed the photograph of an officer of deputy commissioner rank and stated that the hotel would be inaugurated by the officer.
The removal followed a report published by Civic Mirror on Thursday. The boards had drawn attention because one was installed next to a Pune Municipal Corporation warning sign prohibiting unauthorised advertising hoardings. The immediate proximity of the two signs exposed the gap between the civic body’s stated restrictions and enforcement on the ground.
The issue involved both the unauthorised use of a police officer’s name and photograph for commercial publicity and the installation of advertising material in a public space without permission. The report said the boards were placed along roads and areas used by pedestrians and motorists.
Sandeep Kadam, deputy commissioner of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Sky Sign Department, told Civic Mirror that the matter had been brought to the department’s attention and that action was taken immediately by the concerned assistant commissioner. “Thank you for bringing the issue of the illegal flex to our notice. Installing such boards on footpaths is a serious matter. Our assistant commissioner has taken immediate action. Necessary precautions will be taken to prevent such violations in the future,” Kadam said, according to the report.
The removal addresses the specific hoarding identified on Sinhagad Road, but the report also points to a wider pattern of unauthorised advertising across Pune. Similar boards had reportedly been found on footpaths along the Anandnagar–Vitthalwadi road, creating obstructions for pedestrians and altering the appearance of public spaces.
Unauthorised hoardings in busy junctions, road margins and footpaths can reduce the space available for pedestrians and complicate the use of public infrastructure. The report also noted that boards used for political publicity and commercial advertising continue to appear in different parts of the city despite civic restrictions.
The Sky Sign Department said it would take precautions to prevent a repeat violation. The report also called for regular inspections by the department and continued action against those who install unauthorised boards, including monitoring of locations where hoardings have already been removed.
