LMC fires structural consultant
THE LUCKNOW Municipal Corporation (LMC) bosses spent Saturday in damage control, firing structural consultant Colonel SR Prasad for having issued a safety certificate for a giant hoarding that collapsed from atop a house rooftop in the Friday thunderstorm while, an explanation has been called from the Inspector-Publicity (Gomtinagar area).
THE LUCKNOW Municipal Corporation (LMC) bosses spent Saturday in damage control, firing structural consultant Colonel SR Prasad for having issued a safety certificate for a giant hoarding that collapsed from atop a house rooftop in the Friday thunderstorm while, an explanation has been called from the Inspector-Publicity (Gomtinagar area).
Now, other certifications issued by Colonel Prasad are under the scanner too.
“There have been two big accidents in the city since Tuesday—one in Love Lane and other one on Faizabad Road. We are shocked that a hoarding certified by the LMC structural consultant was put up by a non-registered agency. And, it fell off so easily,” said a top LMC official on conditions of anonymity, adding that, “It doesn’t mean that we are not trusting his certificates but we want to be sure.”
Meanwhile, the LMC has decided to lodge FIR against the agencies, which are not registered with them but are presently placing rooftop hoardings in violation of norms. FIRs would be also lodged against house-owners who allow non-registered agencies to put up hoardings.
A decision has also been taken to make certain areas hoarding-free zones. All types of hoardings would be removed from Lohia Path, Faizabad Road, University Road, Hazratganj and MG Marg. Only unipoles will be allowed in these areas. The Municipal Commissioner, in a meeting on Friday night, directed officials to reduce the size of hoardings in VVIP areas like Ashok Marg, Vidhan Sabha Marg, Station Road, VIP Road to 30x13 feet and to 20 x 10 feet in congested areas.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Santosh Kumar said, “A fresh survey is going to be conducted on the dangerous rooftop hoardings in the city. The survey would also identify the non-registered advertisement agencies responsible for putting up dangerous hoardings in the city.”