NHAI rejects Ludhiana MC’s proposal for ads on Elevated Road pillars

Tribune News Service

Harshraj Singh

Ludhiana, April 30

In the midst of a controversy surrounding an advertisement tender, the Municipal Corporation’s plea for handing over the Elevated Road stretch (on Ferozepur Road and Bharat Nagar Chowk to Bus Stand) for the purpose of advertisements on its pillars has been rejected by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The NHAI Project Director has returned the proposal submitted by the MC for advertising on piers of the Elevated Road stretch, stating that it is not approved.

Questions were earlier raised over the MC’s advertisement project tender due to the inclusion of pillars of the Elevated Road constructed by the NHAI. The civic body recently floated tenders with a reserved price of Rs 6.25 crore for the auction of a number of outdoor media devices in different locations of the city. As many as 280 units of Elevated Road pillars on Ferozepur Road and Pakhowal Road ROB were included in the project, constituting 38.70 per cent of the total reserved price. However, Elevated Road (on Ferozepur Road) falls under the jurisdiction of the NHAI.

According to NHAI’s letter sent to the MC, on Tuesday, the the corporation’s action of floating a tender without any permission or approval from the NHAI is an infringement of the NHAI’s operational domain. Previously, on April 26, 2024, the MC Commissioner had written to the NHAI, seeking the transfer of control over the Elevated Road stretch for the placement of advertisements on pillars.

In the reply sent to the MC Commissioner the NHAI’s Project Director, Navratan, clarified that as per the guidelines dated September 7, 2016, of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways: “No advertisements are permitted on the national highways within the Right of Way.” Advertisement hoardings on national highways cause distractions and may cause accidents on the highway. Keeping in view the safety of road users, no advertisement is allowed on the stretch of the national highway.

Notably, the road stretch from Samrala Chowk to the MC limits on Ferozepur Road is a part of the NH-95, and the same has been constructed and currently being maintained by the NHAI. In the letter to MC chief, the Project Director also mentioned about the gazette notification published by the ministry vide dated December 18, 2019, regarding the NH notification of the subject stretch. Therefore, it becomes ample clear that MC Ludhiana has no jurisdiction over the stretch of the national highway. He said it becomes clear that the placement of any type of advertisement on a section of the highway by the MC or through its contractors is completely beyond the scope of the civic body; therefore, the same shall not be allowed in any case.

Meanwhile, city resident Kuldeep Singh Khaira, who had sent a complaint to the Regional Office of the NHAI against MC’s tendering process for advertisements, has also demanded that the government must probe the matter and fix responsibilities of the MC’s officials concerned. Following his complaint, the NHAI sent a reply to Khaira, stating that no permission or approval had been given by the NHAI office to the MC for advertisement on the elevated highway.

Beyond scope of civic body, says NHAI

In a letter written to MC Commissioner, NHAI’s project director stated that the placement of any type of advertisement on a section of the national highway by the MC, Ludhiana, or through its contractors is beyond the scope of the civic body. Therefore, it should not be allowed in any case.

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