GHMC is now working mapping the authorised hoardings

After demolishing nearly 300 of the 330 unauthorised hoardings in the city, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is now working towards geo-tagging and mapping the authorised hoardings and preparing an app for monitoring the structures.

There are over 2,650 authorised hoardings in GHMC limits and to avoid mushrooming of unauthorised hoardings, the municipal corporation is preparing an online database and module for all these structures.The idea is to maintain the database of these hoardings with details, including their location, size, amount to be paid by agencies and others. All these will be geo-tagged and mapped with photographs as well, said GHMC Additional Commissioner (Advertisement) Adwait Kumar Singh.

Once the online module is prepared, the same will be verified and cross-checked with data compiled by advertisement engineers on field. If there are any irregularities like installing bigger hoardings than the permitted size, notices will be served to the respective agencies, he said.The entire exercise will be completed in a few days. The agencies will also be given access and login details so that they can track all the information, including notices served to them.

Generally, agencies during court cases tend to claim that they did not get notices or change their address and contact numbers. To avoid such communication gaps, they will be provided with logins and access to the module, he explained.GHMC is not issuing permissions for installing new hoardings in the city since 2010. In fact, many have been demolished citing security and structural stability.The municipal corporation earnings through advertisement hoardings, which were about Rs 29 crore annually, has now increased to Rs 39 crore following the crackdown on illegal hoardings.

In January this year, the civic body which lacks required equipment and trained manpower to take up the demolition of illegal hoardings, had roped in a private agency to execute the demolition works.As per the contract, the agency has to pay Rs 12.65 per kg for the dismantled steel to the GHMC. Of the 330 illegal hoardings, nearly 300 have been demolished and the rest will be cleared in a few days.