SAD govt installed screens at Heritage Street in Amritsar for advertisements only: Activists
Charanjit Singh Teja
Amritsar, May 22
Refuting claims of Akali leader Virsa Singh Valtoha, some local activists have stressed that large LCD screens were installed at the Heritage Street solely for the purpose of advertising. As per the tender documents of the project, the five screens were installed under development and face-lifting of façade project at Galiara and sole purpose of the screens was advertising.
Former Aam Aadmi Party district president Suresh Kumar Sharma and RTI activist Satnam Singh stated that after CM Bhagwant Mann raised this issue of Gurbani telecast, the SAD spokesperson claimed that the government is not telecasting Gurbani on screens installed at the Haritage Street.
Refuting the allegations of Akali Dal spokesperson Virsa Singh Valtoha, Sharma presented the tender documents of the advertisement screens to the media and stated that the tender of these advertisement screens was floated by the SAD-BJP government on March 23, 2016. There was no clause for telecasting Gurbani on those screens, he pointed out. Under the tender, four screens have been installed at Galiara parking and one screen at Santokhsar. The tender was floated by the SAD-BJP government through the Amritsar Development Authority and the tender rights were given to a Jaipur-based firm, NS Outdoor, for 15 years. Under the tender, the firm can advertise ads for 22.5 hours per day and 1.5 hours per day has been kept free for the government and the district administration. Sharma said that the tender process of these screens was completed by the SAD without adding any clause to telecast Gurbani.
“Seven years on, the SAD is now blaming CM Maan for using screens for advertisements. It is a new low for the Akali Dal. The SAD spokesperson is misleading the public. Besides, there is an attempt by the Akali Dal to maintain monopoly of one channel on Gurbani broadcasting.”
