The 20-odd staff, both permanent and daily wagers of PCB Nuisance Squad, risk their lives to remove unauthorised hoardings, mounted on top of private multi-storeyed buildings, in the presence of PCB officers including supervisors, engineering squad and electricians. The PCB seems to take the issue pertaining to the safety of these workers very lightly.

“Whenever a labourer climbs a building, we tell them that they are doing so at their own risk and no one from the PCB would be responsible if any untoward incident happens,” said a senior officer of PCB, who added that till now no mishap had taken place.

When contacted, Chief Executive Officer of PCB S K Sardana said, “Nowadays, there are no big hoardings but only flex boards. There was not much risk in handling them,” he said.

Adding to the risk, the workers of certain contractors, from whom PCB hires the gas-cutting machines are also found climbing these multi-storey buildings along with PCB workers, to bring down these illegal hoardings. However the contractors claim that they have provided their workers with all the safety gadgets including safety net, belt, helmet, wall-clip etc, a majority of the workers are reluctant to use it.

“I have given my workers with every safety gadgets. But they won’t use it, fearing that these gadgets would fall down while climbing the buildings,” said Mahendra Pawar, a contractor.

One such worker Armin Sheikh is fully aware that anything could happen any moment.