BBMP turns to pvt sector
Billboard counting to be outsourced
After a series of initiatives, within the organisation itself, to check the rising number of 'illegal' hoardings in the City, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has now turned towards private sector for assistance.
The outsourcing bug has now reached its zenith in the Palike, as the BBMP is now calling for tenders to hand over the job of identify the number of billboards and illegal hoardings in the CIty to outside companies.
According to BBMP officials, an advertisement to this effect is being prepared to be released inviting companies who wish to express their interest in the identification of hoardings in the City. The term period for the companies who take up the project is for a period of five years to ensure that “illegal” hoardings do not crop up in the City and also enforce the drive of removing them.
The particular tender was infact called for, couple of months ago, but only a single agency had expressed its interest for the project. “Hence, we are now re-floating the tender for the same project,” said a BBMP official.
The project will involve the use of software to identify the number of hoardings and illegal hoardings which are under a particular advertising agency. The firms have to ensure that the hoardings and billboards are photographed and placed on the website which will be open to the general public to view.
“We had already begun the drive to identify the hoardings in the City. Now we are calling for tenders from the private sector who will identify these hoardings in BBMP limits,” said another BBMP official.
The initial estimates by the BBMP point towards approximately 2,000 hoardings in the City, which are accounted for. However, of the total number of hoardings that adorn the skyline of the City, BBMP officials estimate that atleast 50 to 60 percent are “illegal”. “The advertising agencies do not give us a clue as to how many of these hoardings are permissible and how many have cropped up without authorisation. The software is being utilised for identifying and keeping a tab on these “illegal” hoardings,” said the official.
However, Palike officials are tight lipped on whether the software will indeed help in identifying these hoardings.
