A turf war among operators of illegal flex banners is disrupting public spaces across Pune, with rival groups allegedly tearing down one another’s displays, blocking footpaths and claiming territories at busy junctions. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has promised immediate action after concerns were raised over weak enforcement.
The activity has reportedly been observed in central Pune, Kothrud, Karvenagar and along Sinhagad Road, where unauthorised banners advertise political leaders, private institutions, organisations and property developers. Large bamboo and wooden structures used to support the flex material have extended onto footpaths, making it difficult or impossible for pedestrians to pass in some locations.
The issue was particularly visible near Rajaram Bridge on Sinhagad Road, where a group of three or four young men allegedly tore down a rival banner and left the material at the site. The report said operators divide neighbourhoods into informal territories and remove competing displays to retain prominent locations for their own advertising.
At the Rajaram Bridge junction, the PMC had installed two warning boards against unauthorised advertisements and threatened action against violators. One board was brought down by the framework supporting illegal flex banners, while banners featuring political leaders and corporators continued to be displayed beside the remaining notice, according to the report.
The alleged competition has raised concerns beyond visual pollution. Local groups, including some Ganesh mandals and informal “friend circles”, are alleged to provide protection to operators in certain neighbourhoods. The report also cited suspicions that political connections help some banner operators avoid civic action. These claims were not independently established in the supplied report.
Kakasaheb Chavan, group leader of the Nationalist Congress Party’s Sharad Pawar faction, said the dispute had become a law-and-order issue in addition to being a violation of public space. “The administration must take immediate action against those disfiguring the city by putting up illegal advertisements. Those tearing down one another’s advertising banners are also creating a law-and-order problem in the area,” he said.
The PMC’s ward offices are responsible for removing unauthorised advertisements and acting against those who install them. Sandeep Kadam, deputy commissioner of the PMC Sky Sign Department, said he would direct the assistant commissioners concerned to act immediately. “We will ensure that such advertisements are not put up in the future,” he said.
The continued display of illegal flex banners has also been questioned in light of directives from the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court against such advertisements, as referenced in the report. The immediate civic task is to remove the structures obstructing footpaths and identify those responsible for installing and damaging the banners. PMC officials have not provided, in the supplied report, a specific enforcement schedule or details of action already taken.
