Pune, Correspondent
The Sky Sign Department of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has generated a revenue of ₹12.52 crore in the last six months. The income was collected through various sources including license fees, removal of unauthorized flex boards and hoardings, scrutiny charges, new advertisement permits, temporary advertisement permissions, and delay charges. The department continues to be a significant revenue contributor for the civic body.
Breakdown of Revenue Sources
During the first half of 2025, the PMC earned ₹10.90 crore through license fees alone. Additional income included ₹9.26 lakh from unauthorized flexes, ₹5 lakh from removal of hoardings, ₹9.57 lakh from scrutiny fees, ₹66.27 lakh from new advertisement permits, and ₹19.84 lakh as delay fees. The highest revenue share came from advertisement license fees.
Questions Over Audit Reports
The Sky Sign and License Department has approved 2,640 official hoardings across Pune city. However, civic commissioner Navalkishore Ram had earlier directed regional offices to conduct a structural audit of all hoardings. Two special audit teams found only 41 hoardings inspected, while out of 15 regional offices, 14 reported only 24 unauthorized hoardings. These discrepancies have raised serious questions over the credibility of PMC’s audit reports.
Decentralization to Improve Efficiency
To enhance operational efficiency, PMC has delegated administrative and financial powers to Assistant Commissioners at the regional level. This move aims to expedite field-level operations and ensure timely delivery of essential civic services.
Assistant Commissioners Empowered
Assistant Commissioners have now been given complete authority for issuing advertisement permits, approving nameplates, taking action against unauthorized hoardings, granting stock licenses, and machinery permits. The civic body expects these decentralization measures to boost efficiency and revenue collection.
High Court Order Limits Revenue
Last year, PMC earned ₹28 crore from the Sky Sign Department. However, due to a Bombay High Court order, advertisement charges are currently being collected at ₹111 per sq ft instead of the proposed ₹222 per sq ft. Once approval for the higher rate is granted, the corporation expects a significant increase in revenue.
All Services Go Online
The Sky Sign and License Department has digitized all its services to improve transparency and efficiency. Payment systems for Diwali firecracker permits and banner challans have been moved online, reducing manual processing.
Future Revenue Projections
Between 2018 and 2025, the department expects to generate a cumulative revenue of ₹118 crore. With recent approvals for license and advertisement fee revisions, PMC anticipates an additional ₹1 crore from license fees and ₹85 crore from advertisement rate hikes.
Missing Data from Previous Year
Officials stated that data from the previous financial year was unavailable, citing non-receipt of records from the civic Statistics Department.
Civic Measures to Boost Income
-
100% recovery of pending dues.
-
Modernization of hoardings and display boards to enhance revenue potential.
-
Identifying private locations for advertisement hoardings to create new income streams.
-
Intensified action against unauthorized flexes and banners.
000
