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Patiala MC revises outdoor advertisement policy, seeks state approval to float tenders
Currently, the MC generates an annual income of ₹2.1 crore from outdoor advertisement after providing 83 unipoles to private companies on a seven-year contract
After failing to get bidders for the much-hyped outdoor advertisement policy, the Patiala municipal corporation (MC) has revised the tenders and slashed the base price from ₹6.3 crore to ₹3.87 crore.
Even after revising and reducing the reserved price on multiple occasions, the policy continues to be in doldrums as not even a single bidder had come forward seeking advertisement rights for outdoor media devices (OMD) under the new Punjab Municipal Outdoor Advertisement Policy, 2018.
Earlier, aiming to attract bidders, the civic body had reduced and revised the reserved price by 15% from ₹7.5 crore to ₹6.3 crore.
The MC had floated tenders for the policy four times in the past eight months, but it received no response from the bidders.
MC commissioner Poonamdeep Kaur said that the rates have been slashed to attract more potential bidders for the key advertisement policy.
“We held a meeting with advertisement agencies and other interested entities to study the reasons behind them not coming forward to participate in the tendering process. On the basis of their feedback, we have made certain changes to the plans,” she said.
She added that now the project will be carried out in phases. “We have sent a file related to the revised rates to the local government department of Punjab for its final approval so that fresh tenders can be floated,” she said.
However, as per the revision of the new Outdoor Advertisement Policy, the municipal corporation has reduced its resources to seven gantries, 1,200 pole kiosks, five LEDs, 12 toilet blocks, 52 double side mini poles.
Owner of an advertising agencies, pleading anonymity, said that the previously fixed rates by the municipal corporation were too high as compared to profit generated in a business by taking up outdoor advertising.
“The civic body should come up with more flexible rates to materialise the policy,” he said.
Presently, the MC generates an annual income of ₹2.1 crore from outdoor advertisement after giving 83 unipoles (one of the OMD devices) to private company on contract for seven years. In absence of any streamlined advertisement policy, illegal hoardings and billboards are dotting the Royal City, and causing revenue loss to the MC.
THE NEW POLICY
The Punjab Municipal Outdoor Advertisement Policy of 2018 will apply to all advertisements, irrespective of jurisdiction of land. All public view advertisements under the jurisdiction of urban local bodies will be governed by the rules and regulations laid down under the said policy.
The policy will also be open towards providing and developing these mediums for the overall development of the city without being a hazard to traffic or the visual environment of the city. The permission will be taken from competent authority before implementing any such medium.
According to the policy, no advertisement will be “erected, exhibited, fixed or retained upon or over any land, building, wall, hoarding, frame, post or structure or upon or in any vehicle or shall be displayed in any manner whatsoever in any place within the jurisdiction of local bodies without written permission of officials concerned”.
