CHANDIGARH, Aug. 3 -- In a move aimed at plugging revenue losses and strengthening its finances, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) has decided to review its advertisement policy after councillors raised concerns over private malls displaying large advertisements without paying any fee to the civic body. During the MC House meeting, BJP councillor Maheshinder Singh Sidhu flagged the issue, pointing out that several malls across the city are hosting large hoardings on their facades and in common public areas, yet no profit from these are reaching the civic body. "MC's advertisement policy was drafted years ago. While we charge fees for advertisements on public property, malls are generating crores from advertisements without contributing anything to the MC," Sidhu said. "Brands and companies are paying Rs.3 to Rs.4 lakh per hoarding per month and none of that comes to the civic body," he added. According to MC officials, malls charge approximately Rs.4 lakh per month for hoardings on the rear side of their buildings, while larger hoardings at the mall entrances fetch as much as Rs.8 lakh per month. In contrast, the civic body's own advertising rates are significantly lower. For the financial year 2025-26, the MC is charging only Rs.25,000 annually for advertising spaces between 5 sqft and 25 sqft, with an additional Rs.30,000 per year for every 25 sqft thereafter. Taking cognisance of the gap in potential and actual earnings, MC commissioner Amit Kumar acknowledged the need for a policy revamp. "We have already started increasing advertisement avenues such as unipoles and hoardings at roundabouts and gardens. Our focus is to boost revenue and we will review the advertisement policy to explore better revenue-generating options," he said. The development comes at a time when the civic body is grappling with financial constraints and has been actively exploring new ways to augment its income. The civic body is trying to generate revenue through advertising on public toilets, on city roundabouts, fountains in parks, and 54 unipoles in southern sectors....