Hoarding mafia: BMP to crack down on offenders

Hoarding mafia: BMP to crack down on offenders
Vijay Times

DESPITE the fact that unauthorised hoardings are making the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) forgo huge revenue, the officials concerned are yet to initiate strict action against offenders who have put up such hoardings in the City.

A senior official in the BMP, who chose to call those responsible for the BMPs loss as "hoarding mafia", alleged that some officials in the advertisement section had been giving permissions to advertising agencies of their choice and were literally looting the money.

"The officials concerned are yet to initiate action against those who have violated the advertisement bye-laws," he added.

Mayor Mumtaz Begum, who recently went on an inspection to identify illegal hoardings put up in many places in the City, had urged the public to inform the BMP if they came across such hoardings.

In many areas across the City, including Koramangala, Madiwala, Hosur Road, M G Road and Brigade Road, some advertising companies are yet to remove some hoardings whose permission dates had expired long back, he said.

"Inviting tenders is the only way out to put an end to the hoarding mafia and the BMP can garner more revenue through advertisement taxes," the official said.

Further, the BMP, which allows hoardings to be displayed on public toilets, bus shelters and flyovers, should make it mandatory for the respective advertising companies to take up maintenance. This in turn would reduce the burden on the civic body, he opined.

When the Mayor was asked as to why there was a delay in initiating action against the violators, she said, "In many cases, advertising companies, which have exceeded the permitted time for displaying hoardings, which, in some cases, is over five years, have obtained stay orders from the court." "The lapse can be attributed to the lethargic functioning of the legal cell in the BMP. Some officials in the legal cell have been supporting such violators. We will initiate measures to ensure proper functioning of the legal cell," she assured.

"Despite 11 advocates from the BMP cell dealing with these cases, some are not discharging their duties effectively as they are hand-in-glove with the advertising companies," another senior BMP official alleged.

"Fresh tenders will be invited after getting the unauthorised hoardings removed in all the four zones under the BMP limits. If the new advertising bye-laws are implemented strictly, BMP can reap crores of Rupees as revenue from advertisements," the Mayor said.

So far, advertisement tax was not levied on hoardings and small advertisement boards displayed over shops, petrol bunks, theatres and commercial streets. "The new taxes rates will apply to fresh tenders that will be invited soon and this will augment the BMPs revenue," Opposition leader in the BMP Council B R Nanjundappa told BVT.

"If the existing advocates in the BMP legal cell fail to dispose the pending cases within 15 days, the cases will be handed over to other advocates," he informed.

As per figures made available to BVT from the BMP advertising section, permission has been given to hoardings across the City. Of these, 1,113 are com cial hoardings. There are as many as 749 e advertisers and the revenue earned by the BMP for year 2005-2006 was Rs 1.36 crore. 80 cases of una thorised hoardings are pending before the court an advertisers have obtained stay orders from the cou Over 680 hoardings are under stay.

THE SCENARIO

4 Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) loses huge revenue

4 Lethargic functioning of the legal cell

4 BMP to invite tender to put an end to hoarding mafia

4 New tax rates will be applied to fresh tenders