Hyderabad: In an overnight enforcement drive, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has pulled down some illegal billboards, which include 80 traffic umbrellas, 20 bus shelter displays, and four bus shelters. The GHMC also transferred M. Karthik, deputy executive engineer of GHMC Advertisement wing, from his post.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, corporators said the GHMC should ensure that these private agencies pay back advertisement revenue to the GHMC and order a probe by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) against corrupt officials.
Corporators, however, allege that these steps will favour two private agencies who have a monopoly over the advertisements in the city and also protect corrupt officials. They have decided to meet Mayor G Vijaya Laxmi and GHMC Commissioner Ronald Rose on this issue.
Congress corporators pointed out that only after Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy warned of vigilance raids against corrupt officials in GHMC and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), the illegal hoardings were pulled down.
BJP corporators, meanwhile, said that the enforcement action was taken up secretly as the house committee was set to probe the irregularities.
“Under the BRS regime, the state government favoured two agencies whose owners are close to former minister K.T. Rama Rao. The agencies took permission for a limited number of hoardings and raised multiple folds illegally and dented GHMC coffers,” said former deputy mayor and Congress Borabanda corporator, Baba Fasiuddin.
Khairatabad Congress corporator P. Vijaya Reddy said the agencies should recover losses incurred to the GHMC.
“Who will pay the crores of rupees of loss incurred to the GHMC due to illegal hoardings. The private agencies should be made accountable. Just pulling down the illegal hoarding is like letting the offenders go free," she said.
BJP corporator Vanga Madhusudhan Reddy said the official had been transferred days before the house committee began its probe into the irregularities to ensure that he was not held accountable.”
AIMIM Charminar MLA Mir Zulfeqar Ali in the recently held council meeting also pointed out that the GHMC's advertisement wing's revenue is being dented. “Several corporators including the BRS corporators said that the term ‘Karthik Tax’ is famous in the GHMC Advertisement wing.”
