KDMC Finds Nearly 400 Illegal Hoardings, Faces Rs 50-60 Crore Revenue Loss

Nearly 400 of the 600 hoardings installed across the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) limits have been found to be unauthorized, causing the civic body an estimated revenue loss of Rs 50 to 60 crore due to the absence of a competitive tendering process since 2014.

The findings were revealed through an inquiry conducted by an ad hoc committee constituted by the municipal corporation to review outdoor advertising and hoarding management. The committee found that unauthorized LED displays and billboard structures have occupied prime locations across Kalyan, Dombivli, and Titwala, particularly along major roads, busy intersections, and areas surrounding railway stations.

According to findings presented before the committee, the KDMC Property Department has not conducted a fresh tendering process for hoarding contracts for more than a decade. Instead, existing contracts were repeatedly renewed and extended. While the Property Department initially reported around 200 unauthorized hoardings, subsequent committee assessments revealed that the actual number is nearly 400, representing almost two-thirds of all hoardings within civic limits.

Committee Chairman and Corporator Deepesh Mhatre noted that the lack of transparent bidding over the past 13 years led to major revenue losses. He stated that the municipal corporation should have generated approximately Rs 10 to 15 crore annually from hoarding advertisements, but is currently earning only around Rs 4 crore per year.

The inquiry also uncovered irregularities in permitted sizes. Over 100 operators secured permissions for 100-square-foot advertising structures but erected 200-square-foot hoardings without informing the civic body.

In response, the KDMC administration has launched a ward-level survey to classify all authorized and unauthorized structures. The civic body has initiated processes to recover pending dues and fees from illegal operators while simultaneously starting the tendering process for demolitions. With the demolition of a single hoarding estimated at Rs 2 lakh, the committee proposed allowing contractors to dismantle structures and recover costs by selling the scrap material.

While KDMC provided operators an opportunity to regularize unauthorized hoardings by paying required fees, only 30 operators have applied so far, according to Mhatre.

Deputy Commissioner Vandana Gulve confirmed that action will be taken against all illegal hoardings across municipal limits, noting that the matter will be placed before the Standing Committee and the General Body following the initiation of the tendering process.