The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC), which is boasting of taking stern action against illegal billboards dotting the city skyline, seems to be ignorant on the number of legal and illegal hoardings placed across the city.
According to an official, the corporation has no records on paper regarding the number of hoardings placed across the city, as a result of which they have to suffer unaccountable loss.RMC PRO Naresh Sinha said, “To prevent illegal hoardings that blemished the city’s skyline and at times also add to traffic hazards, the RMC has formed a four-member survey team to figure out the number of legal as well as illegal hoardings put up across the city.”
It has been alleged that the corporation was losing a huge sum owing to the nexus between the Corporation officials and the billboard owners allowing the latter to put up a huge number of unauthorised hoardings across the capital.The team had corporation’s four junior engineers. Their duty is to mark the number of legal as well as illegal hoardings put up across the state capital within a week.
“The team has been asked to provide the report on the same within a week to RMC Chief Executive Officer Manoj Kumar. The team will commence their work from Monday,” added Sinha. Meanwhile, RMC is also planning to impose a fine of `5,000 on those who have defaced the city by putting illegal hoardings in the city.
“After identifying the illegal hoardings RMC will send notices to all the defaulters, including political parties, religious organizations and private companies demanding them to pay `5,000 as token of fine over every illegal hoarding,” said Sinha.Besides, RMC decision of increasing hoarding taxes by ten times (from `1.5 per square feet to `15 per square feet) has infuriated hoarding owners and established players in the business of advertisement. The hike is likely to strain them as they claim that their revenue has not increased in the same proportion.
Selvel Advertising Private limited Manager Rajeev Chatterjee coming down heavily on the corporation decision said, “Corporation decision on hoarding taxes hike is unreasonable. Our customers will not pay us more for placing their billboards. Moreover, it is not possible to pay taxes from this rate.”
However, the advertising agencies have asked the Corporation heads to rethink over the matter and has also demanded to bring down the taxes to around `4 per square feet. “We have written to RMC CEO for the same and have asked them to produce a concrete decision over the issue at earliest,” said Strokes Private Advertising Agency Manager Sabir.
Meanwhile, RMC Deputy CEO Om Prakash Shah has assured to place the demand in the next board meeting of the corporation. “The issue will be put up in the next board meeting and accordingly will decide over it,” said Shah.