By Arfat Khan
Jammu: The Jammu Municipal Corporation prefers to suffer willful loss to its coffers by forfeiting its lawful right over several huge hoardings raised at prime locations near Purmandal Bridge which becomes part of its jurisdiction almost a year ago.
Currently there are eleven full size illegal hoardings raised at this high net worth (HNW) sites out of which four lies at one end of the bridge whereas the other seven displayed at the other side of the bridge.
Earlier, Municipal Committee, Baribrahmna earned revenue out of these hoardings but for the past one year it has no control over it as the area now officially part of JMC jurisdiction and falls within new extended ward number 68, said an officer of Baribrahmna MC preferring anonymity. These hoardings remained packed for the entire year and have huge earning potential worth crore, he added.
Sources alleged that the revenue earned out of these HNW illegal hoardings is shared equally between its unauthorized handlers and some officials of JMC.
It’s a willful loss to the state exchequer and the honest JMC Commissioner Pankaj Magotra cannot afford to remain a mute spectator to it, added official sources. In fact, the Principal Secretary Housing and Urban Development Dheeraj Gupta should ordered an enquiry to fix responsibility on those who turned nelson eyes towards this huge revenue pilferage, added another official.
Much to our surprise when acting as decoy customer, JKGN contacted one of the handler of these hoardings namely Ranjeet Advertiser he claimed that the JMC have vested him ‘rights for display’ of advertisements on these hoardings. When further asked about details of ‘advertising rights’ he failed to convinced us.
Surprisingly, the influential officer in charge of hoardings section in JMC neither care to outsource these HNW hoardings nor act against its unauthorized handlers who are earning crores for the last one year from these illegal hoardings with impunity.
Interestingly, under the supervision of Secretary JMC Sunaina Mehta, JMC have a strong team headed by Kamini Kessar which have been entrusted with the job of removing illegal hoardings raised anywhere in JMC jurisdiction but the reality is that it only removes illegal hoardings in its press circular for sake of stage managed show in newspapers.
There is a strong nexus between the private advertisers and some officials of JMC behind this prosperous business of illegal hoardings, alleged an insider in JMC.
While counting countless illegal hoardings beginning from Panjthrithi to Bakshi Nagar, Gujjar Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Nanak Nagar, Channi Himmat, Trikuta Nagar, Narwal, Kunjwani and Greater Kailash, one of the JMC official anonymously said “JMC have list of permanent illegal hoardings raised by private owners at their residence, club as well as on buildings along Satwari –Kunjwani road but its only meant for counting own share of booty from this illegal business worth crores”
For official reaction on this illegal hoardings business JKGN made several attempts to contact Commissioner JMC Pankaj Magotra as well as Joint Commissioner (A) Ashish Gupta but none prefer to respond.