First in State, NMC to adopt onlineprocess for outdoor advertising
   Date :17-Jan-2023

NMC 
 
 
By Sagar Mohod
Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) became first local self government body in Maharashtra to start online process for granting permission relating to rights for putting up hoarding in public places. As part of ease of business, the Revenue Department of NMC developed a software to end the manual interference and same proved effective in cutting down the red tape for issuing the licenses. The new mode started from January 2021 and before that, there were several inconsistencies in terms of data about hoarding sites, apart from discretionary powers in the hands of the bureaucracy that was often misused. On the way to revamping the administrative machinery, the first task that Revenue Department did was carry out a survey of the entire city.
The survey helped in identifying the loose ends in our system, plus number of hoarding sites increased post the
survey. Besides several violations come to our notice that helped in rectification of our data, said Milind Meshram, Deputy Commissioner, Revenue, NMC, while talking to ‘The Hitavada’.
So post rectification of data, apart from increasing revenue, there is now uniform policy in place, leaving little scope for violations. As to violations that came to fore, at many places, the hoardings were more than the size mentioned in the application, illumination was much more than permitted, building stability certificate were not attached for many sites, maximum height of hoarding was violated, permissible distance from road line was not maintained, violations relating to occupancy certificate of private or public site were not submitted by parties, and so on. There was no comprehensive hoarding policy till Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act (MMCA) inserted clause specific to Skysign and Advertising. Till then, NMC was guided by the rules framed by the House that ensured it handsome returns as, for hoarding, the charges were Rs 22 per square metre for non-illuminated sites and Rs 62 for illuminated sites.
However, post application of MMCA, the charges for outdoor advertising stands capped. Explaining the process, Meshram said, now every Corporation has to calculate the total expenses it is likely to incur and same is divided by the number of hoardings. This helps in fixing the rental charges for the hoarding sites.
In the meantime, a party interested in putting up the hoarding at any of the sites has to simply apply online and upload the required documents. The application is processed within the set timeframe and demand note is issued for making the payment that can be done online. Post that, the applicant has to submit the payment challan at NMC office and the hoarding permission is issued according to the set procedure. The hassle-free initiative of NMC will boost the revenue in due course of time, feels Meshram.