MCG throws the spanner in the wheels of DMRC, Rapid Metro

In what could be a major blow to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) non-fare revenue accruals from the Yellow Line in the Gurugram stretch, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has issued a notice to DMRC to stop using the metro properties in the city, such as, stations, pillars, foot overbridges, etc., for putting up advertisements. A Times of India report states that in a notice issued to DMRC, the MCG Joint Commissioner (IV) has directed the metro corporation to comply with provisions of Haryana Municipal Corporation Advertisement Bylaws 2016 and a later amendment.

MCG’s new advertising bylaws prohibit advertisements on metro pillars and the road median, and stipulate that no advertising can be displayed at stations, foot overbridges and other properties that face the direction of traffic on roads.

The notice has listed 16 outdoor media devices (OMDs) on various DMRC metro stations in Gurugram, including stations at Huda City Centre, Iffco Chowk, MG Road, Sikanderpur and Guru Dronacharya. 

MCG has maintained that any future use of OMDs in the city will be allowed only with due approval from the civic body and in consonance with the bylaws. They will have to be audited by a third party road safety consultant who is not involved in the business of display advertisement.

The MCG move is a big challenge for Rapid Metro network, considering the advertising revenues feed into the network’s expansion plans.