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| `Scandalous' Municipal Corporation favours influential businessman | | Allots hoarding space worth millions without tendering | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Nov 20: In a deal worth millions of rupees, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation has "illegally" allotted prime locations for installation of hoardings to a Kashmir-based "influential" advertising agency.
Sources said in the first phase, the SMC has allotted scores of locations along the Airport road and the Hyderpora national high-way for installation of hoardings, without any requisite tendering or clearance from the concerned agencies.
It is understood that the SMC allotted the prime locations including that at Sanat Nagar for the hoardings only after taking into confidence, the Roads and Buildings Department, which actually owns the road stretches.
The allotment of space has been done in so much of haste that SMC forgots its own interests. In a sheer example of mismanagement, the SMC blocked the view of traditional mural painting recently designed beneath the Hyderpora flyover by facilitating installation of an advertising hoarding in front of it.
In its bid to display Kashmir's traditions and rural life, the SMC, as part of beautification of Srinagar, in April this year had started a pilot project on mural painting in uptown. To begin with, the SMC had roped in noted artist as project supervisor. These paintings had become a major attraction for commuters particularly tourists travelling down from Srinagar Airport to the city-centre.
However, SMC recently allowed installation of an advertising hoarding in front of the painting-evoking resentment among people including artists.
Though following resentment from the artists, the advertisement was removed, the mega iron frame which hosts the paintings was intentionally kept untouched. Sources said the hoarding frame, constructed at the cost of around Rs two lakh, was kept untouched with an assurance to the advertising agency that the same would be allowed to use it again "after a few weeks".
Sources in know of the matter said "some corrupt officials in SMC plan to get the murals defaced in the coming days and once the paintings will be defaced, nobody will object to the installation of hoarding."
They alleged that the concerned have grabbed millions as bribe in the deal while some ministers have been "taken into confidence".
Sources said the advertising agency, which has been given this fresh space for hoardings, has already been running the hoarding business in Srinagar. "In 2006, they were given space for 200 locations in Srinagar but they ended up putting up hoardings at over 500 locations. The enforcement squad of SMC gets regular commission for this shady business," said a retired SMC official adding that the matter should be probed by the Crime Branch or Vigilance Organization Kashmir.
Insiders said the new space for hoardings has been allotted only to increase the "commission", which the "enforcement squad officials fetch from the advertising agency".
But a SMC official refuted that anything illegal was done in the allotment of the hoarding spaces. The official said here was nothing shady about the deal and that space has been allotted in "transparent manner" after consultation with the higher ups. |
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