MCD standing committee mulls advertisements on municipal school walls

New Delhi, 30 Dec (PTI) The special meeting of the MCD's standing committee on Tuesday discussed a proposal to allow advertisements on the outer walls of civic body schools, a move aimed at generating revenue, officials said on Tuesday.

The meeting saw chairpersons of six special and ad-hoc committees present their proposals before the standing committee proceeded with preparing the Revised Budget Estimates and Budget Estimates for 2026-27.

Standing Committee Chairperson Satya Sharma said the respective chairs of the DEMS, works, health, education, horticulture and rural committees presented detailed budget proposals covering sanitation, civic infrastructure, healthcare, education, green spaces and rural development.

"All important suggestions received from the committees will be incorporated in the budget," Sharma said, adding that the aim was to prepare a comprehensive, balanced and public-oriented budget.

During the meeting, Education Committee Chairperson Yogesh Verma suggested that the outer walls of municipal schools, many of which are located at prime locations, could be used for advertisements.

"We have proposed to place advertisements on school walls. We will identify these school buildings, mainly in prime locations and use them to generate revenue," Verma told PTI Verma also proposed installing ATMs on school premises in densely-populated areas and opening school playgrounds to NGOs or academies under a PPP (public-private partnership) model for Khelo India and Fit India initiatives, while ensuring free coaching for corporation school students.

According to an official statement, during the meeting, committee heads outlined their departments' priorities and plans, seeking targeted allocations to improve services and boost revenue.

Department of Environmental Management (DEMS) Committee chairperson Sandeep Kapoor proposed providing one backhoe loader (JCB) and one sweeping machine in each ward, deploying 10 additional sanitation workers for every municipal councillor and creating a separate budget for maintaining 'dhalaos' (garbage disposal points) and public toilets.

He also sought funds to clear pending arrears of sanitation workers and suggested leasing closed dhalaos to private companies to raise revenue, the statement read.

Works Committee Chairperson Preeti called for a separate budget head for repairing public toilets, better maintenance of community centres and increasing the Municipal Councillor Fund to Rs 2 crore. She also proposed developing parking facilities on vacant corporation land.

Rural Development Committee Chairperson Yogesh sought funds for village roads and a separate rural policy and better lighting, while Health Committee Chairperson Manish Chaddha asked for additional allocations for hospitals, anti-rabies drives and micro-chipping of stray dogs.

Horticulture Committee Chairperson Harish Oberoi pressed for more funds for environmental conservation and pollution control, the statement read. PTI VBH