Karan Aujla concert in Chandigarh: ₹1.16-cr fine slapped on show organiser for illegal advts

As per the notice issued by the Chandigarh municipal corporation, the concert organiser has been told to deposit the fine by December 17 to avoid legal action

The Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) has slapped a whopping penalty of ₹1.16 crore on the organiser of Punjabi singer Karan Aujla’s December 7 concert in Chandigarh for illegally displaying advertisements at the event venue.

The singer’s concert took place in Chandigarh on December 7. (HT)

In its notice to M/s Scope Entertainment and Team Entertainment Innovation, MC said, “As many as nine boards/banners/hoardings of different sizes, measuring total area of 916 sq ft, were found displayed at the Exhibition Ground of Sector 34 without prior permission from the competent authority and violated the norms of Chandigarh Advertisement Control Order, 1954. As such you are liable to pay the advertisement fees, along with penalty...due to this violation.”

As per Clause Number 4 of Chandigarh Advertisement Control Order, 1954, no person can, without the written permission of chief administrator, erect, exhibit, fix or retain any advertisement, whether now existing or not, upon any land/building, wall, holding or structure, the notice explained.

“You are therefore directed to deposit ₹1,15,60,191 on account of advertisement fee, penalty, interest and GST.. You are directed to pay the amount till December 17, failing which action as per prevailing rules/law shall be taken. If the amount is not paid within the stipulated period, interest of 18% per annum, compounded annually on advertisement fee and penalty shall be charged,” the notice read.

After sold-out performances in international arenas, Aujla’s “It Was All A Dream” tour made a debut in India, kicking off from Chandigarh on December 7. The event drew a crowd of over 30,000 fans.

No more mega events in Sector 34 after Diljit, AP Dhillon’s concert: UT admn

After city residents and shopkeepers and commuters faced inconvenience during Aujla’s live concert, the UT administration has in-principle decided not to allow big gatherings in future at the Exhibition Ground in Sector 34.

Hundreds of vehicles had choked the city during the Aujla event.

But the UT administration will allow the upcoming live concerts of Punjabi singers Diljit Dosanjh and AP Dhillon at the venue on December 14 and 21, respectively, as permissions for the same have already been granted.

The decision came after a delegation led by former city BJP president Arun Sood, and Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM) president Charanjiv Singh, met deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav on Wednesday and demanded that upcoming events be shifted from Sector 34 to Sector 25 rally ground to avoid inconvenience and hardships to local residents.

Yadav said they had in-principle decided that no permission would be granted in future for huge gatherings at the Sector 34 ground and such gatherings would be allowed only at other big open spaces such as the Sector 25 ground. The DC further said no permission for burning fire crackers, and liquor and cigarettes will be granted.

HC to take up plea against Concert today

The Punjab and Haryana high court would take up a public interest litigation on Friday against singer Diljit Dosanjh’s concert taking place at the Sector-34 ground on Saturday.

A Sector-23 resident, Ranjeet Singh, has filed a public interest litigation demanding that UT be directed not to allow concerts at the venue unless adequate measures are implemented to address concerns raised in the petition.

He also demanded that UT be asked submit a detailed report on traffic management, crowd control and other safety measures for the December 14 concert.

The plea seeks directions that alternative venues should be selected for large-scale events away from residential and commercials areas. Directions be issued to establish clear guidelines for granting permission for public events so that it is ensured that they do not disrupt essential services or violate citizen rights. The plea says on December 7 a concert was organised which resulted in widespread disruption. Traffic jams created difficulty for shopkeepers, students, patients and every other emergency services. However, despite that another concert is being allowed on December 14, it says.