Kathmandu, November 19
Nepal Electricity Authority and Kathmandu Metropolitan City are at odds regarding who will remove advertisement boards from the electricity poles in the city.
Advertisement Act 2075 prohibits advertisements on utility poles placed to pass electricity or telephone lines. However, such poles are seen throughout the valley, especially in Kathmandu, and they have advertisements on them. The law has already come into effect since President Bidya Devi Bhandari endorsed it on October 24. But, the government has shown no measures to remove the advertisements from the poles.
The act has also prohibited the use of hoarding boards to advertise in any public space without the permission of the local government.
KMC: The poles are NEA’s responsibility
Kathmandu Metropolitan City has been giving permission to businesses to keep hoarding boards in public spaces. They have been doing so by taking a fee from the businesses. However, KMC’s revenue department Chief Nur Nidhi Neupane says that the KMC has not given permission to advertise on these poles. “The NEA has rented out these boards. The KMC has nothing to do with it. We haven’t received a penny for it. We only take advertisement tax from these poles,” says Neupane.
The advertisement tax is paid to the KMC by the companies who place the advertisement.
NEA: Talks ongoing regarding advertisement on poles
The NEA, on the other hand, has been saying that they are in talks about removing the advertisement from the poles. Chief of the NEA administration division, Shiva Acharya, said that NEA has been in talks about this ever since the act was introduced last month.
The NEA information officer Lila Aryal, however, says she was unaware of the tender process for placing the ads. Other officials say the poles were rented for advertising before the new law came into effect.
