Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Dec 19: A new AHMS software system developed for surveying hoardings installed within the limits of Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) is now ready. The tender process has already been completed.
More than 40% of hoardings across the city are said to be illegal, resulting in a loss of lakhs of rupees in tax revenue for the corporation. Complaints regarding illegal hoardings and related inconveniences have repeatedly surfaced during MCC council meetings. Due to a shortage of staff to conduct surveys and take action, the corporation has decided to carry out a detailed survey using the new AHMS software.
File photo
The AHMS (Advertisement Hoarding Management System) software has been developed by Vigilite, a Mysuru-based firm that has secured the tender. In the initial phase, Revenue Inspectors (RIs) will conduct the survey. The software includes geo-tagging, enabling the capture of GPS locations of hoardings. Applications for new hoardings must be submitted online. Details such as hoarding size, tax amount and payment options will be available on the platform, and all payments must be made online.
The software will provide complete data on the number of hoardings in private and public spaces, as well as official and unofficial ones, and the tax paid for each.
If any wrong information was previously provided during the installation of hoardings, the new system will reveal it. Penalty-based taxation will then be imposed, and the details must be updated in the software to regularise the hoardings.
At present, the corporation receives an annual revenue of Rs 2.50 crore from hoardings. With the new system making it mandatory for all official and unofficial hoardings to be uploaded and regularised, MCC expects its annual revenue to double.
Numerous illegal hoardings in areas such as Nanthoor, Kottara, Mangaladevi, MG Road, Mannagudda, Chilimbi, Urwa, Kottara, Kulai, Pumpwell, Kankanady, Falnir, State Bank, Pandeshwar and Hampankatta have caused a tax loss running into crores of rupees for the corporation.
Hoardings in the city are regulated under the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, 1976 (KMC Act) and MMC Advertisement By-laws. Before installing any hoarding or advertisement display, obtaining a licence from the local authority is mandatory. It is reported that nearly 30% of hoardings have been installed without obtaining the required permission.
There are three types of hoarding installations in the city—poles, hoardings and road dividers. At present, Mangaluru City Corporation has a total of 1,084 official hoardings, generating an annual revenue of Rs 2.50 crore, with all survey activities being carried out by the MCC revenue department.