While the common tax payer is always on the receiving end, private agency’s are allowed to saddle advertising wing with multi-crore arrears
The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has two completely different yardsticks when it comes to recovering taxes and dues from the common man and influential out-of-home (OOH) advertising agencies who have been awarded rights to install hoardings at earmarked sites across the twin-city.
In a shocking revelation, MBMC’s advertising department has not only turned a blind eye towards multi-crore arrears saddled on the civic body by defaulting advertising agencies but has virtually rolled out a red carpet for them by granting illegal extensions sans mandated price escalations.
The advertising department is already under the scanner for ignoring audit objections for non-submission of yearly records related to arrears and list of defaulting agencies.
“While the arrears was pegged at Rs 58 lakh in 2015, the amount has now run into crores,” said a civic personnel requesting anonymity. “The mounting arrears are indeed a cause of concern. I have directed the concerned department to slap final notices on defaulters, failing which will take possession of the hoarding’s and initiate recovey proceedings in accordance to the law,” said Deputy Civic Chief Deepak Pujari.
The MBMC has tagged licenses to nearly 350 hoardings and cantilevers, however considering the presence of illegal ones, the actual figure could be much higher.
It has been alleged that civic officials are hand-in-glove with the agencies, allowing them to compromise on safety parameters and facilitate manipulations, thus causing huge revenue losses to the civic exchequer.
Though it is mandatory to provide the necessary information in a specific time frame, majority of cases in the advertising department have remained unattended and continue to appear on the list of audit objections.