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Tag: Ashif Kumar Biswas

  • WB govt removes HRBC hoardings to get a better view

    WB govt removes HRBC hoardings to get a better view

    MUMBAI: KOLKATA: Power doesn’t imply license to do as you please, or does it?

     

    Barely a month since the Mamata Banerjee government shifted office to the 14-storeyed Hooghly River Bridge Commissionerates Building on the west bank of the river Hooghly, the administration has started removing the over 75 to 100 hoardings on site just to facilitate a better view of the surroundings.

     

    Advertising companies which had bought the hoarding space for a good three to five years are distressed with the state government’s decision which has forced them to look for alternative sites to get mileage.

     

    West Bengal Outdoor Advertising Association treasurer and grievance committee convener Ashif Kumar Biswas told indiantelevision.com: “Brands present in Avani Mall, building material companies like cement, rods, preferred these sites as Konna Expressway is under construction. Moreover, since this is the gateway to Kolkata, many brands would choose these hoardings.”

     

    A government official meanwhile said the hoardings were cluttered and whenever officials looked out of the window for refreshment, they caused a barrier. With the 18th century ‘Writers’ Building’ having been vacated for restoration and renovation, West Bengal chief minister Banerjee and team will have to work out of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissionerates building for quite some time. Unlike her previous office that was located on the first floor of ‘Writers’ Building’, Banerjee’s new office is on the Commissionerates building’s top floor.

    With advertisers having paid top tax to Howrah and HRBC authorities for hoarding space, “The state government is likely to lose around Rs 50 lakh per annum,” said Biswas, adding that the hoardings are huge in size measuring around 40×40 or 40×20 feet. “We have requested the state government to regularise them, instead of removing the hoardings altogether,” he said.

     

    It is learnt one of the advertisers, a small media agency, bid for two sites after taking an advance from an FMCG company, which selected the hoardings for their winter campaign. Other advertisers said the decision to remove the hoardings at one go reflects on the lack of policy of the present government.

     

    Biwas however is hopeful the state government will sooner look into the matter. He even hinted that authorities are happy with smaller hoardings and that the association is ready to come to terms with them.

  • Kolkata govt. promotes film fest with outdoor campaigns

    Kolkata govt. promotes film fest with outdoor campaigns

    KOLKATA: “Ticket kete na ki pass niye” (Did you buy a ticket or do you have a pass?) – this is what the Kolkata government has been asking its residents.

    The state government’s Information and Cultural Affairs (I&CA) department has been running an outdoor campaign to spread awareness about its 19th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) that opened on Sunday.

    The department owns close to120 hoarding space in the city and has used almost one-third of the space for the promotion of KIFF.

    Government enlisted agencies including Arun Sign Service, Karukrit Advertising and Pioneer Publicity Corporation have been asked to maintain the hoardings for KIFF.

    “The teaser campaign has been out for some time now. It is just to spread the right word among the people about the festival,” said West Bengal Outdoor Advertising Association, treasurer and grievance committee convener, Ashif Kumar Biswas.

    While S Chakraborty from Karukrit Advertising said that the government has given two billboards to each agency in one area where one advertisement would be there to promote the festival and the other one will be used for commercial advertisement so that the agencies can recover the cost of the government hoarding. “We have got 20 by 10 feet flex from the authorities,” he said.

    When asked about the money being spent in the advertisements, the agencies said that since these billboards are owned by the department, the cost is not much.

    City based media analysts think that the teaser, which is usually a common aspect of such festivals, increases curiosity among film lovers.

    Apart from promoting the festival with outdoor campaigns, the state government has also made special efforts to pay tribute to legendary singer Manna Dey, who passed away recently and filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, who too passed away earlier this year. While the singer’s famous songs are a part of the official theme song, the filmmaker’s unreleased movie Taak Jhaank (Sunglass) will be premiered at the festival.

  • Temporary ads to mushroom with KMC waiving tax

    Temporary ads to mushroom with KMC waiving tax

    KOLKATA: Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s (KMC) decision to waive advertisement tax on temporary banners, festoons and hoardings put up on the bamboo structures during the festive season, is likely to see the temporary ads mushrooming across the city during the Durga Puja.

     

    “Though government’s decision to waive corporation tax on advertisements put up by Puja organisers during the festive season will cost the civic exchequer crores, it will benefit the Puja committee. Companies like Parle, Kurlon, Vodafone, Aircel, ITC have started their advertisement campaigns,” said West Bengal Outdoor Advertising Association treasurer and grievance committee convener Ashif Kumar Biswas.

     

    Biswas recalls that last year, the KMC authorities had called for a tender and had mopped up over Rs 1 crore as price for collection of advertisement tax from temporary banners, festoons and hoardings. “However, at the last moment, the tender was cancelled after chief minister Mamata Banerjee suddenly announced the waiver,” he said.

     

    “City based small and medium businesses will be encouraged to put up more outdoor advertising and promote their business further and reach out to a broader mass”, said Let’s Assist Digital Services director Prasit Bhattacharya.

     

    “The advertising agencies should also offer some discounts which will encourage businesses to try out temporary advertising,” he feels.

     

    While Fame Per Second chief dreamer Suman Sen opines: “This was the best opportunity for the state government to mop up funds and later use for some good cause.”
     “So it is cheaper for advertisers now especially when the economy is not doing well and companies are not spending on advertisement. Puja Committees can hope for more advertisers backing them now,” said a city based media buying agency.

     

    The city would be all cluttered with advertisements for next 10 days, states another planner, adding that many advertising companies are likely to make a lot of unaccounted money from such a tax-free venture.