KMC outsources Puja outdoor advertising

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to outsource the task of collecting revenue from corporates which advertise on temporary signages during the Durga Puja festival season in the city, hoping that it would significantly lower its own burden of tracking illegal banners and other temporary displays as well as add to revenue collections.

KMC had collected more than Rs 33 lakh as charges and taxes from advertisers last year for displays during the Puja season, in and around the major Puja sites.

"We had to employ manpower extensively together with taking assistance from the Kolkata Police force, and go around the city at nights to spot illegal displays. The total revenue earned was from the regular payment of taxes as well as from money collected as fines from the illegal displays", said Faiyaz Ahmed Khan, member and mayor in council of KMC.

Following the decision to outsource the rights to collect display charges to agencies, KMC had already collected more than Rs 51 lakh on that account, Khan added.

As most advertisers put up displays through advertising agencies, two such agencies had been appointed to manage this task.

The two should do profitable business from the arrangement, said Khan.

The two agencies selected by KMC were Sanskriti and Artage.

Nirmal Thakur, secretary of Outdoor Advertising Agency Association, said that the agencies expected revenue to rise further.

This was an indication of the amount of revenue being lost by KMC every year owing to its inability to monitor the process, despite its highly manpower intensive approach.

The agencies would charge the rate levied by KMC last year, at Rs 15 per square foot of space, and not the earlier charge of Rs 23 per square foot.

Following appeals that the signage painting and designing sector was a small and micro scale enterprise that needed support, KMC had reduced charges in this year's municipal budget, explained Khan.

Lower charges were expected to garner more advertising through temporary signages, and in turn, higher revenue.

Puja organization or coordination committees would not be charged anything for displays around theirs site made to promote the 'puja' arrangements as long as such signages did not have sponsored displays, explained Khan.