Mayor swears by hoarding-free city

Mayor Shubha Raul is determined to get rid of hoardings atop city’s buildings. Terming them an eyesore, Raul has communicated to Shiv Sena executive president, Uddhav Thackeray the dangers hoardings atop residential buildings pose for the public.

“Mumbai should be hoarding-free and the new guidelines should incorporate a clause, wherein the veto power of giving permissions to advertisers lies in the hands of residents living on the top-most floors,” said Raul on Monday. A case in point is the ShreeKrishna Complex Co-operative Housing Society near the Western Express Highway in Borivili (E), where the builders and advertisers have put up 120-feet hoardings that pose a structural danger to the building. This is the second case wherein the same advertisers are under scrutiny.

The first being, when the Parsis protested against their panchayat for allowing a double-decker hoarding within the perimeter of their burial ground (Towers of Silence) at Doongerwadi Heritage precinct.

“Builders and advertisers have not taken an NOC from the society. Cracks have developed on the top-most floors and these 120-feet hoardings are posing a threat to the lives of the residents,” Raul said. “BMC should convene a meeting of all parties and be willing to let go of the Rs30 crore generated from hoardings every year. As, residents from top-most floors are victimised, seeking an NOC from them must be made mandatory,” she added.

Amol Jadhav, secretary of ShreeKrishna Complex Co-operative Housing Society, said, “The five hoardings on the terrace of our buildings have led to water leakage on the seventh floor (top). The builder has also violated BMC rules by putting up halogen lights, when the permission was granted for only three non-illuminated hoardings. As the building is located on the Western Express Highway, it is in violation of the Bombay Highway Act.”