MC fails to use advt sites for generating revenue

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11

The cash-strapped Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has suffered revenue losses due to its laidback approach as a majority of identified advertisement sites at its disposal remained vacant.

What is more interesting to note is that the advertisement sites outsourced by the civic body fetched good amount for it, while the JMC paid least attention to make the advertisement sites at its disposal profitable.

“The JMC has a total of 157 advertisement sites, out of which 90 are at its disposal and 67 sites have been outsourced. It also has 593 pole kiosks to be used as advertisement sites. Of them, at least 413 are at the disposal of the civic body while as many as 180 sites have been outsourced. Super Publicity Private Ltd, a private firm managing the advertisement sites outsourced by the JMC, has paid an amount of Rs 76,72,770 for 67 advertisement sites and 180 pole kiosks, but the 90 advertisement sites and 413 pole kiosks at the disposal of the JMC earned just Rs 3,13,800 in the first quarter of the financial year 2015-16,” a document of the JMC said.

The document was accessed by a Jammu-based lawyer and activist Vilakshana Singh in response to his application filed under the J&K RTI Act-2009. There are a total of 71 wards in the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation.

The Public Information Officer (PIO) of civic body said the advertisement sites in Ward 49 to 71 had been outsourced by the JMC for which it fetched an annual fee of Rs 76, 72, 770 from Super Publicity Private Ltd.

“The advertisement sites in Ward 1 to 48 are at the disposal of the JMC authorities. Most of the sites which were at the disposal of the Municipal Corporation caused loss to the civic body by remaining vacant,” the PIO said.

“As many as 12 advertisement sites at the disposal of the JMC earned a fee of Rs 3,13,800 from April 2015 to July 2015. During the same period, 78 advertisement sites failed to fetch even a single penny. Besides advertisements sites, 413 pole kiosks reserved by the JMC for advertisement also did not fetch a single penny during the period,” the RTI reply said.

The activist said the responsibility for causing a huge loss to the civic body needed to be fixed. “The loss caused to the Municipal Corporation could be assessed from the fact that after filing of the RTI application, the civic body issued notice inviting tender (NIT) for the advertisement sites at the disposal and kept minimum reserved price for the sites at Rs 2.06 crore,” he said.

He said the JMC authorities allegedly tried its best to conceal site-wise information sought by him, but it was only after the order passed by the J&K State Information Commission that the JMC was compelled to provide site-wise information to him.