Hyderabad: GHMC general body meeting on Monday raised concerns over advertising policy of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Corporators alleged that large-scale corruption was going on in granting advertising rights to private agencies. They said that three agencies have monopolised the advertisement space in the city with the blessings of a few officials.
Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi directed the GHMC Commissioner D Ronald Rose to appoint an enquiry officer to investigate the claims and submit a report. She also promised to constitute a house committee to review the corporation’s advertisement policy.
Concerns were also raised about the status of bus shelters leased for 15 years and the collection of taxes on digital boards as per the GHMC Act.
MLC and ex-officio member MS Prabhakar Rao supported the corporators claims, emphasising the need for GHMC to increase revenue from trade licenses and advertisements.
Several members severely criticised the officials for the condition of streetlights across the city, highlighting issues such as lamps glowing during the day, faulty bulbs, and ineffective cabling.
GHMC commissioner addressed the concerns, mentioning a complaint made to the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) responsible for streetlights up to 2025. He assured that the issues would be resolved with the help of 30 resource persons allotted to GHMC by EESL.
Meanwhile, the civic body on Tuesday approved a budget of Rs 7,937 crore for the financial year 2024-25.
