Time to adopt transparent system in granting permission

K R Niranjan, IAS, as deputy commissioner, BBMP, had to face the ire of an MLA for removing illegal hoardings on Inner Ring Road linking Koramangala to Old Airport Road.

Niranjan had taken up a drive against illegal publicity material in 2003. When he was on field work to remove unauthorised commercial hoardings, the then MLA M Muniswamy, holding a pistol, had threatened Niranjan not to remove them. The hoardings were put up illegally by his son.

“A dozen illegal hoardings had been put by the politician’s son. The MLA was so furious that he brought a pistol to stop me from removing the hoardings. Finally, the then commissioner M R Srinivas Murthy had to warn him against stopping a government servant from discharing his duty. We could not remove all the illegal hoardings,” he recalled.

Niranjan, who was also special commissioner of the Palike, said the hoarding mafia is run by corporators, MLAs, BBMP officials and advertisers. Huge money changes hands. Not less than 50 per cent of the publicity material defacing the city is illegal. Not less than Rs 500 crore to 1,000 crore can be mopped up by putting an end to the racket, he noted.

There are two ways to check illegality, according to Niranjan. One is to allow advertisement display materials only in properties owned by the Palike and government. A second option is sanction through auction the identified places for the display of boards. At present, display of outdoor advertisement is allowed on private buildings/sites. “Film posters are pasted on walls overnight. The film chamber is doing nothing to check it,” he said.

S M Jawad, president, Outdoor Advertising Association, Bengaluru, said the Palike has failed to implement its own bye-laws governing advertisements. “It is not calling for tenders to give rights for displaying ads. Space is sold clandestinely. The best example is allowing an e-business firm to put up a gantry display near Kumble Circle. For the space that has been ‘gifted’ to the company for seven years, a paltry sum of Rs 2,000 is paid per year. Many such examples can be given to show how the Palike is overnight giving away prime places to advertisers because officials get huge money,” he said.

The Association, which has nearly 100 members, has been requesting the Palike to opt for the tendering route to award display rights. It has also approached the court. “When we demand the Palike to maintain transparency, it imposes a ban on outdoor advertisements. Why not we follow the Mumbai method of tender process? The Mumbai civic body is earning Rs 105 crore, while BBMP is getting a paltry Rs 20 crore to 25 crore annually from advertisements,” he said.

The unholy nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and advertisers could be stopped by accepting applications online and through bidding. “We have heard BBMP may introduce such system this year,” he noted.