Amritsar municipal body dragging feet on release of new tenders for OOH media

The authority is generating close to Rs 8 crore tax revenues from OOH per annum

The Municipal Corporation Amritsar sees significant revenue generation from OOH advertising contracts but owing to certain internal issues, the body hasn’t been able to roll out tenders for any advertising display in the city, even after getting a nod from Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) to expand the number of unipoles available in the city. The body is generating revenue close to Rs 8 crore per annum from outdoor media from the 200 unipoles contract.

During an F&CC meeting in December 2016, Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora and the then MC Commissioner Sonali Giri gave the approval to install 60 unipoles and eight gantries. But tenders to the effect have not been floated till date.

In the last 2015, the local body had issued a tender for 200 unipoles and 18 gantries which were successfully tendered; but after that there hasn’t been any new tender rolled out by the body. The advertisement wing searched 50 more locations to install the unipoles to increase the revenue. Even after passing the proposal, the MC has failed to proceed.