Officials have apparently been sitting idle, as no stringent measures have been taken by the GHMC to check the structural stability of hoardings, which are standing dangerously in different corners of the city. Despite incidents of collapsed hoardings killing civilians since last two years, advertising agencies have allegedly failed to submit stability certificates to the GHMC since the last two years, a structural engineer at the GHMC informed Expresso. As per regulations, advertising agencies, numbering roughly between 40 and 50 within the GHMC limits are required to submit stability certificates to the corporation on a yearly basis.

Though the GHMC had initiated a panel of five structural engineers, who would be responsible for issuing structural stability certificates, a majority of agencies have failed to submit the structural stability certificates till date. Presently, there are about 1,800 hoardings in the core areas of the Twin Cities, while another 700 comprise the surrounding municipal circles, apart from around 100 uni-poles.

“It is the responsibility of the advertising agencies to approach the empanelled engineers and obtain the structural certificates and ensure that design and calculations are the same on paper and ground, but they are not doing so as they to pay fees to them,” the engineer said. A word of caution came from the Engineer when he said that many of the hoardings may have already become weak, given inclement weather conditions.

GHMC officials revealed that while they have been issuing notices and requesting ad agencies to submit the certificates, a majority are allegedly seeking more time for submission while a handful have complied.

Sources informed that even though some agencies had submitted structural stability certificates for each hoarding, the specifications were inaccurate in most cases. The GHMC officials, in this regard were ignoring blatant violations by advertisement agencies, they added.

Incidentally, an Experts Committee, which studied the condition of hoardings in the Twin Cities found that the majority of hoardings are structurally weak and as such, pose a potential threat to life and property. The Committee was instituted following the death of a few people after a hoarding collapse last year and recommended the need to appoint a third party check on structural stability of hoardings, apart from periodical checking on stability and permission for erection of hoardings.