The Thane Municipal Corporation's (TMC) policy of building toilets in exchange for granting publicity rights has been constantly mired in controversy for the past few years. Under this initiative, while the residents of Thane are being inconvenienced by locking the toilet built at Balkum, it has come to light that lakhs of rupees are being earned by displaying advertisements on the billboard erected on that toilet. In this matter, MNS has written a letter to the Thane Municipal Corporation's advertising department, demanding action against the advertising company.
To provide roadside toilet facilities to the citizens of Thane city, the municipality implemented a policy of constructing toilets in return for issuing public notices. In this initiative, contractors had erected billboards even before the toilets were built in some places and started earning money by displaying advertisements on them.
Even though this type of activity was going on in open spaces in the city, the municipality's advertising department was ignoring it. After complaints started coming in about this, the initiative was mired in controversy.
Meanwhile, under the same initiative, a controversy has arisen again as MNS Thane Deputy City President Hemant More has alleged that while the public is being inconvenienced due to the toilet facility built at Balkum being kept locked, advertisements displayed on the hoarding above the same toilet are generating lakhs in revenue. In this matter, he has filed a complaint through a letter to the Thane Municipal Corporation Advertising Department.
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In order to avoid inconvenience to the residents of Thane, the Thane Municipal Corporation has given permission to construct toilets in some places in Thane and erect billboard traps on them. The contractor erected large billboards on the toilets. While the first duty of the company that won the contract is not to inconvenience the people of Thane, the toilet at Balkum Naka has been closed for almost a year. However, advertisements on the board above the toilet are still going strong.
A poster has been put up on the toilet stating that the toilet is closed due to Metro work. More has raised the question of who gave permission to this company to advertise while the toilet is closed. Balkum Naka is a busy area. Hundreds of citizens are inconvenienced every day due to the closed toilets. The advertising company has no right to advertise when the toilets are closed, More said in his statement.
On one hand, taxpayers are suffering, but advertising companies are enjoying themselves by earning lakhs of rupees. This is the time to show that the Thane Municipal Corporation belongs to the taxpayers and Thane residents, not to the contractors. Therefore, they have demanded that action be taken against the contracting company that advertised the toilets at Balkum while they were closed.
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