New Delhi, May 8 (PTI) With an aim to boost the Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC’s) revenue generation, the Transport Department has identified around 50,000 square feet of advertising space, said officials on Thursday.
Delhi has around 7,000 buses. Out of these, 1,600 are electric buses. On an average, approximately 25 lakh people use DTC buses and 16 lakh travel on cluster buses daily.
The CAG reports tabled by the government in March this year showed that the DTC’s liabilities rose from Rs 28,263 crore in 2015-16 to a staggering Rs 65,274 crore in 2021-22.
“The government is focused on improving DTC’s financial health because currently, losses are heavy. In this initiative, we are exploring several avenues for advertising on our properties and have identified around 50,000 square feet of space across the city that can be utilised,” a senior transport department official said.
According to officials, this space includes bus queue shelters, bus depots and unipoles on DTC properties and other spaces. Areas where there is a requirement for a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will also be obtained. More space is being identified for advertising, he said.
The CAG audit also highlighted instances where the DTC failed to earn additional revenue through advertisements and commercial use of space at depots. However, now the Corporation, which is facing problems in generating revenue, has started inviting companies to put advertisements on its buses.
The Transport Department has also initiated projects of commercialising spaces at depots that are under construction and utilising old buses lying at its Sarai Kale Khan interstate bus terminal by converting them into shops. The department is redeveloping Hari Nagar Depot I and II, which will have commercial space for sale and a combined parking capacity of 384 buses.
Similarly, the Vasant Vihar depot, which currently accommodates 150 CNG buses, is proposed to be redeveloped into a multi-level facility with a capacity to park 434 buses and will also have spaces for opening offices and shops.
“The three bus depots that are being developed will be a boost to revenue and we have floated tenders for turning old buses into shops,” the official added.
In 2016, the DTC proposed that except for window glasses and the rear windshield panel of low-floor buses, advertisements can be displayed on the rear side, left side and right side of the vehicle. However, the proposal was dropped after it was objected to by the Delhi Police from a safety point of view. Currently, the proposal is once again under examination by a special committee constituted last month by the State Transport Authority (STA). PTI SSM SSM KSS KSS
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