Unauthorised hoardings resurface in new way; activists outsmart civic body

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Unauthorised hoardings have once again begun to proliferate across the city. Just last week, the municipal corporation had warned of direct criminal action against those putting up illegal hoardings. However, those responsible appear to have found a workaround, hoardings now display only photographs, with no names mentioned. This is likely to make it difficult for the civic body to identify the individuals involved.

A bench of the high court has ordered that unauthorised hoardings must not be erected in the city. The issue became particularly serious after a civic employee died of electrocution in February (2026) due to an illegal hoarding. Since then, both the civic administration and elected representatives have taken a firm stance against such violations.

Last week, Santosh Wahule, coordination officer of the anti-encroachment section, warned that criminal cases would be filed against those responsible for illegal hoardings. He further stated that if an unauthorised hoarding leads to the death of an innocent citizen, a case of culpable homicide would be registered. Despite this, over the past two to three days, large illegal hoardings have reappeared at several major junctions across the city.

Notably, in some cases, activists have adopted a clever tactic, no names are printed on the hoardings, only photographs of leaders and workers. This raises a key question: how will the municipal corporation register cases when no individuals are identified?

The city is visited by over three million (30 lakh) tourists annually, and the corporation maintains that it must remain clean and visually appealing. Action will be taken against those who deface the city, officials have said.

Instructions issued to all zonal officers

On Monday, clear directives were issued to all zonal officers regarding this issue. Those who have installed unauthorised hoardings are to be summoned to the site and asked to remove them respectfully. If they fail to do so, the municipal corporation will ensure their removal in a proper manner, said Santosh Wahule.