Latest news with #M.MaheshwarRao
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Ad hoardings to make a comeback, BBMP expects to earn nearly ₹500 crore additional revenue this year
hoardings are all set to make a comeback in the city after it was banned in 2018. The civic body hopes to rake in an additional revenue of nearly ₹500 crore through advertisement fee that ranges between ₹50 and ₹90 a sq. ft of the hoarding, depending on the guidance value of land in the area. Hoardings will not be allowed around Vidhana Soudha. The State government on Thursday issued the final notification of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (Advertisement) Bylaws - 2024, a new ad policy pending for years. The Draft of the bylaws was issued in July 2024, and a final notification has been issued with a few changes, incorporating objections that came for the draft. For instance, the draft bylaws listed road widths in feet, while the final notification lists it in metres. The draft said no advertisement, apart from self-advertisement, will be allowed on a road less than 60 ft wide. The advertisement fee was in the range of ₹40 and ₹110, which has now been revised to in the range of ₹50 and ₹90. The total horizontal length of hoardings at a circle has been revised from 60 ft to 120 ft, and the maximum height of a hoarding from the ground has been raised from 75 ft to 30 metres (over 98 ft). With the new ad policy coming into force, the stage is now set for the civic body to give out rights to put up advertisements in the city through an open auction/tender. Before that, the BBMP should divide the whole city into suitable stretches of roads, circles, and areas, where paid advertisements shall be permissible through a notification. Chief Civic Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao said the civic body estimates to mop up additional revenue of about ₹400 to ₹500 crore through outdoor advertisement. The civic budget for 2025-26 estimates ₹750 crore revenue from the advertisement fee (as per new policy). However, the notification of road stretches, circles where advertisements will be allowed, and auction for advertising rights of the same will take time and this year, the revenue from this source will likely be lesser than what was estimated in the budget, sources said. The new advertisement bylaws for the first time allows advertising on private lands, lands owned by other agencies like Indian Railways, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) or bus stands of the KSRTC, and the BMTC, and public sector units. The revenue will be shared with the BBMP, the sources said. While the BBMP will auction advertising rights on road stretches, advertisers need to broker deals with individual property owners, including government agencies, to put up hoardings on them, and these property owners will have to pay additional property tax over the same. Restrictions The bylaws imposes several restrictions on outdoor advertising. For instance, it bans video advertising, imposes restrictions on neon lights, bans any advertising on trees, streetlights, electricity poles, on footpaths, abutting public roads, 50 ft from a traffic signal on all arms of the signal, 50 metres from any place of worship, etc. The bylaws also constitute an Advertisement Regulatory Committee headed by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department. The bylaws brings in several reforms, including making the entire process online. Each outdoor advertisement will have to carry a QR code which when scanned should provide all details of the advertisement and any violation will make it liable to be removed.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bengaluru ranks 36th among 44 Indian cities in Swachh Survekshan audit
Bengaluru has secured the 36th position out of 44 cities in the 'above 10 lakh population' category in the Swachh Survekshan 2024, the annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). In the previous year, the 'above 10 lakh' category was dropped. However, in 2022, Bengaluru had ranked 43rd among 45 participating cities in the same category. This year's result marks an improvement of eight positions compared to the 2022 ranking. In 2023, Bengaluru ranked 125th out of 446 cities in the 'above one lakh population' category. Top performers Gujarat's Ahmedabad topped the 'above 10 lakh' category with a score of 12,079, followed closely by Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) with 12,067 points and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) with 12,001. Bengaluru scored 6,842. In the 'Super Swachh League City' category, Mysuru secured 5th place. In the State-wise rankings, Bengaluru stood at 15th. Davangere emerged as the top-performing city in Karnataka with a score of 9,131, followed by Hubballi-Dharwad and Hosadurga. 'Room for improvement' BBMP Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao acknowledged that Bengaluru has room for improvement and expressed confidence in better results in the future. 'We have good plans for managing construction debris and solid waste, which will improve our standing in the next survey. We are currently transitioning to an Integrated Solid Waste Management system. Once that is in place, we will rank better,' Mr. Rao told The Hindu. However, activists say that Bengaluru should have done much better. 'Bengaluru is losing score in a few parameters consistently since the last three Swachh Survekshan audits, among which is waste processing,' V. Ramprasad, a civic activist, said. He said that Mysuru has improved substantially despite collecting less money from people when compared to Bengaluru. How is it calculated Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) were assessed quarterly across four phases. They updated their Management Information System (MIS) monthly, which was validated through citizen feedback and reviewed by third-party assessors. Indicator-wise progress was documented and verified during the final survey in February 2025. The new Swachh Survekshan indicators focused on cleanliness, waste segregation, collection, processing, landfill and dumpsite management, wastewater treatment, reuse, and faecal sludge management. MoHUA conducted virtual sessions with States and ULBs to explain the methodology. Citizen engagement was vital, supported by digital, social, and traditional media campaigns to raise awareness and promote participation in the cleanliness mission.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Private company to boost mobile connectivity on Namma Metro Phase-2 in Bengaluru
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has entered into a 13-year licence agreement with a private firm to deploy and operate telecom infrastructure aimed at enhancing mobile connectivity across Phase-2 of Namma Metro in Bengaluru. The agreement was signed with Advanced Communications and Electronics Systems Company (ACES) India Private Limited to install, operate, and maintain telecom infrastructure including In-Building Solutions (IBS), Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), cellular towers, and poles across metro stations in the four extensions of Phase-I, and Reach-5 and Reach-6 of Phase-II of Namma Metro. The agreement was signed on July 14, according to BMRCL. BMRCL Managing Director M. Maheshwar Rao said, 'The telecom infrastructure will support multiple mobile network operators, reduce duplication, bring down deployment costs, and enable quicker roll-out of advanced 4G and 5G services. Commuters on these corridors can expect uninterrupted mobile connectivity during their journey.'
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BBMP employees withdraw strike after recent suspensions promised to be rolled back, services affected on Tuesday
Employees of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) went on a strike on Tuesday, affecting civic services in Bengaluru throughout the day. Revenue, Education, and Health departments were the most affected by the strike, which was withdrawn later in the evening, after Chief Civic Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao promised to withdraw the suspensions of eight revenue officials, suspended over alleged dereliction of duty during the Scheduled Castes Survey. Solid waste management remained unaffected. Mallamma, who works as a domestic help in Rajajinagar area, said that her mother-in-law had fallen ill and she had taken her to the nearest BBMP hospital, but doctors had been to a protest. Madhav Rao, a resident of Vidyaranyapura and a senior citizen, said he had been to the BBMP office to meet the assistant revenue officer (ARO) over an e-khata query, but the office was deserted. Meanwhile, classes were not properly held in most of the BBMP-run schools and colleges as teachers were also participating in the strike. The BBMP headquarters in N.R. Square of the city also wore a deserted look as most of the employees were part of the strike. Suralkar Vikas Kishor, Special Commissioner (West Zone), faced the heat from BBMP employees who alleged he tried to stop employees from participating in the strike. However, he clarified that he had told only two employees — an office assistant and a driver — not to go for the protest, to keep the office running, and said he was not against the strike. Mr. Rao visited Freedom Park, where the BBMP employees were protesting and assured them of withdrawing the suspension orders of eight revenue officers. Responding to other demands — BBMP should fill 6,000 posts, give promotions to BBMP direct recruits, cancel employing Marshals in the city — the Commissioner promised the employees that he will soon take up these issues with the State government. Following this, the strike was called off. A. Amrutraj, president, BBMP Employees' and Engineers' Welfare Association, which led the strike, said that with the suspensions withdrawn and assurance to positively consider their other demands, they had decided to call off the strike and return to work on Wednesday.
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Namma Metro tickets now available on 9 more apps
In a push towards enhancing digital access and seamless travel, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has enabled QR ticketing through the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), where metro tickets will be available on nine apps. This move allows Namma Metro commuters to purchase tickets via popular consumer-facing apps, according to BMRCL. The newly integrated apps are EaseMyTrip, Highway Delite, Miles & Kilometres (via Telegram), Namma Yatri, OneTicket, Rapido, Redbus, Tummoc, and Yatri – City Travel Guide. These are in addition to the existing platforms — Namma Metro mobile app, WhatsApp chatbot (8105556677), and the Paytm app. BMRCL Managing Director M. Maheshwar Rao said, 'This expansion is part of our larger vision to integrate first, middle, and last-mile connectivity into a unified digital ecosystem. With cab and auto services already available on ONDC since 2023, the addition of metro ticketing completes a vital link in the multi-modal transport chain. Now, commuters can plan and book their entire journey from doorstep to destination through a single mobile app, saving both time and effort.' He highlighted that the adoption of open network standards marks a strategic shift towards a more inclusive and tech-driven future for Bengaluru's urban mobility. It also aims to enhance operational efficiency and commuter convenience. With over 8.5 lakh daily riders on weekdays, this initiative marks a crucial step in delivering a commuter-centric, app-integrated travel experience. The move not only empowers passengers with more ticketing options but also reinforces BMRCL's commitment to digital transformation and sustainability in public transport.
