MCB to act against illegal advertisers

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 26

The debt-ridden Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) is planning to act against illegal advertisers in the city to fill its coffers.

The MCB has directed its advertisement regulation committee to keep a tab on illegal ads.

As per the new advertisement policy, one shop cannot install more than one board outside and that too should be its own.

If any shopkeeper installs any other board of any company, the MCB can issue challan to him of up to Rs 50,000.

Mobile shops have installed as many as four boards — Vivo, Oppo, Samsung and Gionee.

The MCB has initiated a drive against the four multinational mobile companies, which were putting advertisings on mobile shops for the last two years.

The MCB is facing losses as it is not getting advertisement tax.

The MCB commissioner had ordered the officials of the advertisement wing to remove the hoardings of these mobile companies.

Last month, the MCB’s expenditure was more than its income. The condition is such that the MCB didn’t even have any fund for development work.

Even the salaries of MCB officials for the next month may get delayed.

As per the MCB records, the income of the civic body in May was Rs 9.35 crore, whereas its expenditure was Rs 11.41 crore.

MCB Commissioner Sanyam Aggarwal said, “We are trying to increase our revenue. We will also increase our income from advertisements, which is our major source of revenue.”

He said he was working on the steps that can be initiated against these mobile phone companies.