Ad tender: Mohali MC forms panel to evaluate bidders’ documents
The committee formed by Mohali MC includes a joint commissioner, who has been appointed as the chairman of the committee; an assistant commissioner, a law officer, an XEN, SDO, superintendent and deputy controller finance and account (DCFA)
After receiving nine bids in the technical bid for the advertisement tender which was opened for the sixth time on Friday last week, the municipal corporation (MC) commissioner T Benith on Wednesday constituted a seven-member committee for scrutinising the documents and to ensure a smooth allotment process.

The committee includes a joint commissioner, who has been appointed as the chairman of the committee; an assistant commissioner, a law officer, an XEN, SDO, superintendent and deputy controller finance and account (DCFA).
The bids were received after the tenders were floated for the sixth time last month. Before this, the MC had failed to allot the ₹31 crore advertisement tender five times in a row.
After multiple failed attempts to draw bidders, this time instead of one, six separate tenders were floated with a reduced amount of ₹28.5 crore.
“Now, by floating separate six tenders, we are hopeful of getting the bidders and getting the expected revenue. The scrutiny report will be submitted to the MC commissioner following which he will take the final decision regarding the bidders,” an MC officer said.
During the past three MC House meetings, councillors accused the officials of corruption and of not initiating a vigilance probe into the matter deliberately despite passing the resolution. The councillors questioned how the civic body had failed to achieve its proposed income of ₹31 crore in 2023-2024 through advertisement tender, earning just ₹6.11 crore, despite hoardings being allotted across the city.
Initially, there were 339 sites, but 19 have been removed by the civic body due to ongoing road widening by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) in Phases 8 to 11. In 2015, the MC had allotted over 10 separate advertisement tenders for a total of 186 sites at ₹9.24 crore. In 2018, 10% rates were increased and ₹9.72 crore tender was allotted.
Amid the pandemic, contractors had surrendered the sites citing hefty losses. Later in 2023, 153 new sites were added with the total number being raised to 339. The civic body, however, had also increased the rates of the previous 186 sites by 24% and came up with a proposal of ₹31 crore for a total of 339 sites. The tender, however, remained unsuccessful five times.
Earlier, after four failed attempts to draw bidders for the ₹31-crore advertisement tender in financial year 2023-24, MC in its fifth attempt had divided the city into four zones with separate smaller tenders, with hopes of finding contractors in the 2024-25 fiscal but to no avail.
Pandemonium prevailed in the past House meetings over advertisement tenders, following which, councillors accused the MC officials of corruption.
Meanwhile, a senior MC official, while expressing disappointment over the allegations, said a proposal was tabled before the House in March 2023, in which a tender price of ₹30 crore was suggested by officials but the House, including the mayor, deputy mayor and councillors, increased the tender price to ₹31 crore.
“The proposal was further approved by the local bodies department. Shockingly, the councillors and deputy mayor later objected to the rates and sought a probe,” an MC officer said.
Mohali mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu said the tenders could not be allotted earlier due to the nexus of available players in the business.
MC Commissioner T Benith said that the tender process is still ongoing.
