Hyderabad's GHMC pushes for compliance with ad fees, but many small businesses are unaware, impacting revenue collection. (DC File Image)
HYDERABAD: Owners of commercial establishments, including shops and grocers, must pay between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 per square metre if they advertise on their shutters or facades?
According to the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Hyderabad, has 68,491 commercial establishments, yet most of them do not pay this fee. If 80 per cent of them compiled, it would add 25 per cent of current ad revenue, which has seen only marginal growth in recent years.
The GHMC advertisement fee revenue increased by 19 per cent from Rs 7 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 8.33 crore in 2022-23, and by 38 per cent, reaching Rs 11.5 crore in 2023-24.
An increase, yes, but according to officials, this mostly comes from ads on unipoles, central dividers, bus shelters, and buses. Most advertisers who advertise on shutters, storefronts, and the back of over one lakh autorickshaws don’t pay the advertising fee.
“They (advertisers) pay Rs 100 for placing a sticker on the back of my auto. How will I pay Rs 1,500 to GHMC?” said autorickshaw driver Shakeel Ahmed, who was taken aback when he was asked about the advertising fee.
The owner of a burger shop, which has been operating for five years, told Deccan Chronicle, “We pay GST quarterly, but we were not aware of this GHMC ad fee. Paying another fee to the government makes it challenging for us to run our business,” he said.
the GHMC is struggling to enforce advertisement fees among smaller businesses. “Many small shop owners don’t know about the advertising fee. It creates an unfair situation for larger businesses that do pay,” said a GHMC official who wished not to be named.
A popular restaurant owner expressed frustration, saying, “Rules are rules. There’s no need to categorise businesses. The authorities should create policies wisely instead of claiming that B and C category shops or other vendors aren’t generating enough revenue,” he added.
Officials from GHMC said, “It’s important for everyone to follow the rules to help keep the city clean. We want to bring the city up to global standards.” They also mentioned, “We have online payment options for advertising fees to make payments easier for business owners and to improve transparency and efficiency. But still, most people are not aware of these policies.”
Advertisement fee rates (per square metre or per vehicle in rupees)
Central Dividers: S: 3,000, A: 2,750, B: 2,500, C: 2,250
Unipoles: S: 2,000, A: 1,750, B: 1,500, C: 1,150
Hoardings: S: 1,500, A: 1,350, B: 1,200, C: 850
Neon & Glow Sign Boards/ Bus Shelters: S: 1,250, A: 1,000, B: 750, C: 600
Wall Painting, Flex Board, Poster, Pillar Boards, Painting/ Stickers/ Shop Shutters:
S: 1,000, A: 800, B: 600, C: 500
Balloons, Umbrellas: S: 4,000, A: 3,000, B: 2,000, C: 1,500
Slide/ Short Films: S: 2,000, A: 2,000, B: 2,000, C: 2,000
Autos: S: 1,500, A: 1,500, B: 1,500, C: 1,500
Buses: S: 4,000, A: 4,000, B: 4,000, C: 4,000
Cabs/Vans: S: 3,000, A: 3,000, B: 3,000, C: 3,000
GHMC categories:
Category S: All Metro Corridors, PVNR Expressway, ORR within GHMC limits
Category A: Market areas like Rashtrapati Road, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Begumpet, Jubilee Hills, Kukatpally, Madhapur, Hitec City, Kondapur, and Gachibowli, Abids, Sultan Bazar, Banjara Hills, Punjagutta, Somajiguda, and Himayat Nagar.
Category B: Former MCH areas, Kukatpally, and Serilingampally regions, but excluding those mentioned in Category A.
Category C: Rajendranagar, L.B. Nagar, Uppal, Quthbullapur, Malkajgiri, Alwal, Kapra, and Ramachandrapuram and Patancheru.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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