Days after issue regarding the loss to exchequer due to unauthorised advertisements was raked up by some political parties like Shiv Sena and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now raised questions over the municipal corporation’s (MC) policy on advertisements.
BJP councillor Inderjit Agarwal has written to MC additional commissioner Isha Kalia, asking who was responsible for the huge losses to the MC.
Claiming that MC had faced loss of Rs 50-60 crore in last two years due to undue benefits given to some special advertisement companies, Agarwal, during a meeting at MC Zone-D office on Wednesday, said some companies had managed to display advertisements on private malls, petrol pumps, railway over bridge, bus stand and other places by violating the building bylaws as MC didn’t take any action against such companies.
He alleged that efforts were being made to save the guilty advertisement companies.
According to short term tenders of February 18, the fee should be charged from these companies as per the area covered by them to display advertisements.
Demanding an inquiry into not issuing work orders of February 18 tender that would have generated revenue of Rs 2.52 crore by the installation of 100 unipoles and 20 garbage points in city, he said the contractor concerned had to install unipoles and, thus, to pay the service tax but nothing was done by the MC to pass the work orders.
{{/usCountry}}Demanding an inquiry into not issuing work orders of February 18 tender that would have generated revenue of Rs 2.52 crore by the installation of 100 unipoles and 20 garbage points in city, he said the contractor concerned had to install unipoles and, thus, to pay the service tax but nothing was done by the MC to pass the work orders.
{{/usCountry}}“If these companies are found guilty, they should find and blacklisted as well,” he claimed.
Taking a strict action, former commissioner RK Verma had asked some companies to remove advertisements and unipoles.
Raising questions over the agreement with a company to prepare a detailed project report regarding spots to display advertisements and prepare an outline of new tenders, Agarwal said that around Rs 1 crore fee was paid to the company inspite of the protests by over various civic body councillors.