Sign up for afaqs! Newsletters
MCD to bring down illegal hoardings in Delhi with the help of GPS
The rise in illegal hoardings in south and east Delhi, and the possibility of increased revenues, has prompted MCD to use a GPS device
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to introduce a Global Positioning System (GPS) device to detect and curb the springing up of illegal hoardings in the Capital. The auditing process will start after seeking a nod from Supreme Court.
Confirming the news to afaqs!, Amiya Chandra, additional deputy commissioner and head – Advertisements and Remuneration Project Cell, MCD, says, "The objective behind using the GPS is twofold: to audit legal advertisements on a regular basis, and to detect and pull down illegal hoardings within 24 hours of detection. While an independent private agency will put together the GPS system, MCD will do the job of removing the illegal hoardings."
Inspectors from the advertisement department will be provided handheld bar code readers, which will determine if a particular hoarding is legal or illegal. Every time an illegal hoarding is detected, a thumbs-down signal will appear on the GPS system.
To bring transparency in the procedure, MCD's website will be constantly updated to provide a complete list of illegal hoardings and also the action taken against these.
Chandra clarifies that MCD is not into the business of advertisements just for the heck of it. "We give licenses with a view to provide better amenities to the people of Delhi, such as public utilities, urinals and bus shelters. At the same time, we do not want clutter in the city and that is why we have come up with this idea," he adds.
Tanmay Tiwari, general manager, Jagran Engage says, "MCD has always been right with its policies, but it's the implementation that is a big challenge. Earlier, only seven or eight inspectors were taken on-board by MCD to cover all the zones in Delhi. With so many illegal hoardings mushrooming in the city, constant checks are required and so more heads are needed to deal with this. Though using a GPS system is a good idea, I doubt the efficacy of this to deal with the problem of illegal hoardings."
Raj Mohanty, senior business director, Poster Publicity, reveals that Chandra had been working on the idea of using GPS for the past three years.
"Recently, many illegal hoardings have come up in South Extension I and II, and areas adjoining the Yamuna bank in east Delhi. I am sure that this system will work in MCD's favour. Also, this system will ensure more revenue for MCD," he adds.