Housing society issues notice to PMC for painting walls without permission

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) recently painted the perimeter wall of a housing society without the community's permission. Following a complaint from the Swapnashilp Society in Kothrud against the PMC's painting of the compound wall with G20-related advertisements, the latter agreed to repaint the perimeter of the wall. The society had urged the civic authority to either pay the expenses or repaint the wall.

According to the Swapnashilp society's letter, the west side of the society, City Pride Kothrud, has a 400-foot-long and seven-foot-high wall. The Pune Municipal Corporation's Karvenagar Zonal Office painted the wall without first receiving permission.

The housing society is asking for costs under the 2003 advertisement policy, or it will have the wall painted. "Pune Municipal Corporation has completed a wall painting on the boundary of the society next to the Ward Office after orders obtained from the Central Government and Maharashtra Government to create public awareness about G20 summit meetings, PMC said in response to the letter. The Pune Municipal Corporation has no intention of profiting from this. The wall will be repainted soon."

According to Prashant Kadam, secretary of the Swapnashilp Society, the G-20 murals were painted on the wall four days ago. "We've asked PMC to repaint it. The PMC has accepted it and announced that repainting will commence following the G20 summit."