The Capital’s municipal corporations are going all out to ensure public cooperation in their ongoing cleanliness drive by spending lakhs on advertisement campaigns.
Preparations for the launch of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on October 2 began on September 25, with cleaning, maintenance and repair works being undertaken by the civic bodies.
While the East Delhi Municipal Corporation is using free sites for its advertisements, the North and South Delhi civic bodies are spending Rs.60 lakh and Rs.30 lakh each on reaching out to citizens.
For the first time, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s awareness campaign will be visible to metro commuters, inside trains, at stations and outside station premises on tree guards and stand-alone boards.
Ten tree guards each at 20 metro stations, including the busy Chandni Chowk and Vishwavidyalaya stations, at a cost of Rs.2.1 lakh are being erected by the North Corporation. Another Rs.5 lakh is being spent on advertisements on the exterior of metro feeder buses on eight routes that cover all of North Delhi.
Backlit bus queue shelters at 10 spots for Rs.12 lakh and front-lit signage at two metro stations, large panels on metro bridges at Peeragarhi and Wazirpur and unipoles at two spots at a cost of Rs.11.5 lakh will also be used.
The North and South civic bodies will also be using LCD screens and digital display information system at public places for the first time. To be able to use these mediums, the North Corporation recently passed an amendment to its outdoor advertising policy.
“In North Delhi, we will be reaching out to citizens to cooperate with us through innovative advertisements and cartoon characters. In East Delhi, we will be putting up 40 hoardings on free sites,” said Y.S. Mann, the spokesperson for the North and East civic bodies.
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s awareness campaign will include advertisements on LCD screens in restaurants and shops at a cost of Rs.3 lakh. A senior SDMC official said: “These advertisements will play at Safal outlets, Domino’s and McDonald’s. Apart from that, we have radio spots encouraging people not to litter.”
The hourly time-check on a radio station, which started on September 25, carries anti-littering messages from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The SDMC is spending Rs. 3 lakh on the month-long radio campaign. Advertisements inside metro trains and at stations will cost the SDMC Rs.6 lakh and Rs.8 lakh respectively. While the sites are free, the Corporation will spend Rs.10 lakh on printing the hoardings and flex boards. Opposition leaders in the civic bodies, however, questioned the BJP-led corporation’s plan. SDMC Leader of Opposition Farhad Suri said: “The city needs to be spruced up and cleaned as it is the Corporation’s obligatory function, but I don’t think money should be spent on advertisements since we are already short on funds.”
The North Corporation’s Leader of Opposition, Mukesh Goel, added: “The drive started on September 25 and the streets still look the same. Nothing will change on the ground as we don’t have enough safai karamcharis .”
