Hyderabad: A report filed by a team of experts from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University has revealed that of the 2,700 advertisement hoardings permitted by the GHMC, 60 per cent have failed structural stability tests conducted by civil engineering experts.
The massive hoardings on the main roads are unsafe and gale speed winds of 100 kmph can knock them over, the report said.
The unipoles permitted by GHMC are meant to have two wings but the advertising agencies have erected three wings at several places, including at Minister Road.
The unipole that crashed at Jubilee Hills check post crushing three cars at a showroom during the freak thunderstorm recently had permission for two wings, according to the Banjara Hills police.
Dr N.V. Ramana Rao. professor of civil engineering at JNTU, who prepared the report, said, “Basic GHMC guidelines have been ignored. A large number of unsafe hoardings have been set up very close to crossroads,” he said.
Dr Ramana Rao said, “we have suggested strengthening of 90 percent of the poles. No board is not able to withstand the load.”
Asked about this, GHMC commissioner Dr B. Janardhan Reddy said, the GHMC had permitted 2,700 hoardings or unipo-les but there are many unauthorised hoardings. We have received complaints about them. The GHMC will prepare a report and take action, he said. “More hoardings are located in SCB and grama panchayat areas. The advertising wing has been asked to probe,” he said.
