Gangadhar Swami transferred

24th July 2008, Bangalore: Gangadhar Swami, Assistant commissioner, advertising division, BBMP, was recently transferred to the Bangalore north sub-division and electronic registration office.

He was instrumental in implementing the new bylaws in Bangalore. Under his tenure the BBMP revenue from outdoor advertising increased tremendously. Till 2006 the revenue was under Rs 10 crore. In 2007-08 the revenue jumped to Rs 70 crore. It was during his tenure that the tender for the LEDs was finalised for Rs 26 crore.

At the OAC held in Mumbai recently, Gangadhar Swami was a prominent speaker about the outdoor advertising scene in Bangalore. There he explained that the BBMP has a positive outlook towards the outdoor advertising industry in Bangalore and all the BBMP wants is that all the rules are followed by media owners. In the last 10 months more then 30 tenders have been floated by the BBMP. LED’s also made an appearance in Bangalore recently. He also urged media owners to innovate and add to the beauty of the city. “If you have innovative ideas come and visit me in Bangalore. We will adopt it,” he said to a very appreciative audience.

According to media reports Gangadhar Swami’s transfer had a quirky twist. On July 10 the government had transferred HS Ramakrishna from the post and appointed Gangadhar Swami in his place. However, Ramakrishna approached the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) and got a stay order against the transfer. On July 14 Gangadhar Swami arrived to take charge but Ramakrishna refused to leave. Ultimately both men sat together in the office and each claimed that he was the real boss. It resulted in the junior members in the office being very confused.