Arfat Khan
Jammu: There is massive violation of laid down norms for display of advertisements in the Jammu Municipal limit owing to prolong lenient and favorable approach by the officials of Jammu Municipal Corporation.
As per available documents, the JMC has outsourced sole advertising rights for display of advertisement contents on public property within JMC limits through vide eNIT No 03REVdated 18/01/2016.
The contract was allotted to M/s Brite Neon Signs Pvt Ltd which operates from 202, Kashi Place, Dak Bunglow Road, P.S Kotwali, Patna, Bihar.
With validity of 4 years w.e.f 06/04/2016, this firm was given rights for display of advertisements on 23650 sq ft area through hoardings and 6880 sq ft area on electric poles.
Due contract was made between the JMC authority and M/s Brite wherein the later agrees to abide by the laid down norms. Interestingly, this agreement speaks of strict action at the behest of JMC authority in case the firm violates the terms and conditions of the contract.
As per this contract, Brite was authorized to display advertising contents only from ward No 1 to 48 which includes 31 locations for hoardings and 23 locations for pole kiosks with clear cut details about number of hoardings in respective wards. These locations were clearly mentioned in Annexure A of the contract.
Surprisingly, this contract remains only a piece of paper for the advertisement firms namely M/s Brite as well as the concerned authority. This is evident from the fact that the former allegedly resorts to brazen violations of certain clause of the contract merely for monetary benefits while the later preferred to remain silent over the same.
As per sources, this firm is earning crores of rupees by resorting to display of advertising contents in utter violation of clause L, Q, S of the contract.
“The firm was bound to display advertisements only in areas mentioned in the Annexure A. But in connivance with concerned officials the said firm has raised hoardings in areas which lies beyond ward 1to 48” revealed officer of JMC preferring anonymity.
“The firm earning huge amount by exceeding the number of hoardings over and above the figure mentioned in the contract” he added. This is just a tip of an ice berg in reference to the scandal going on in the JMC on the name of advertisements, said JMC sources.
JKGN made several attempts to contact commissioner JMC Arvind Kotwal as well as Secretary JMC Sunaina Mehta who is looking after this vital revenue generation profile of JMC but none of them prefer to attend to our repeated calls.