Pune: PMC Likely to Increase Hoarding Fees to Rs 750 Per Sq Ft After Supreme Court Relief
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 12th May 2026: Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram has indicated that the civic body is likely to significantly increase advertisement hoarding fees in a bid to boost municipal revenue, with the revised rates expected to range between Rs 700 and Rs 750 per square foot.
Speaking about the proposed policy, Ram said there would be no compromise on fee reduction as the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) current income from hoardings is far lower compared to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). He pointed out that Mumbai civic authorities earn nearly 10 times more revenue from hoardings than Pune.
The dispute over hoarding fees between the PMC and hoarding businesses has been ongoing for several years and has also reached the courts. The PMC has now received favourable rulings from both the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court, clearing the way for recovery of pending dues and implementation of revised charges.
The PMC had fixed advertisement hoarding charges at Rs 222 per square foot in 2013. In 2018, hoarding operators challenged the rates in the Bombay High Court. During the proceedings, the PMC submitted an affidavit stating that based on the original 2013 rate and an annual 10 percent increase formula, the revised rent had reached Rs 580 per square foot by 2023.
In December last year, the High Court ruled in favour of the PMC. Hoarding operators later approached the Supreme Court seeking relief against the revised charges.
However, during a recent hearing, the Supreme Court refused to stay the fee hike and upheld the High Court’s decision. The order has effectively cleared the PMC’s path to recover outstanding dues from hoarding operators and proceed with the new fee policy.
Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said the process of finalising the new fee structure has reached its final stage following the Supreme Court’s order.
“We need to increase the municipal corporation’s revenue. Compared to Mumbai, Pune’s hoarding revenue is extremely low. Some stakeholders are demanding rates of Rs 350 per square foot, but the revised fee may be around Rs 700 to Rs 750 per square foot,” he said.
He added that the final decision on the revised rates will be taken in the PMC’s general body meeting.
