Pune: Candidates or political parties will have to pay a fee for using municipal grounds or other spaces for election rallies or street corner meetings. According to the rates fixed by the Pune Municipal
Corporation (PMC), a fee of ₹18,000 will be charged for a public meeting in a square, and ₹7,200 for a street corner meeting. If a meeting is held without permission, the amount will be recovered along with a 1.5 times penalty.
With the announcement of the municipal elections, prospective candidates in Pune have become very busy. Political parties are engaged in seat allocation, candidate interviews, and meetings. Aspiring candidates are preoccupied with the thought of what their fate will be until their candidature is announced. On the other hand, the PMC has started its election preparations. The work of finalising polling stations and strengthening the election machinery in each regional office is underway.
After the nomination papers are filed, eligible candidates will be allotted election symbols. Campaigning will then begin on January 3rd. Candidates conduct processions, street corner meetings, and public rallies. They also go door-to-door to contact every voter. However, since it is not possible to reach one lakh voters individually, emphasis will have to be placed on rallies and street corner meetings. For this purpose, the PMC's encroachment removal department has fixed the rates.
A public meeting in a square will accommodate approximately five thousand citizens. This will require an area of two thousand square meters, and a fee of nine rupees per square meter will be charged. Additionally, a cleaning fee of two thousand rupees will be charged, bringing the total fee for one such meeting to ₹20,000, which must be deposited with the PMC. A street corner meeting can accommodate two and a half thousand citizens.
For this, an area of 800 square meters will be provided, and a fee of nine rupees per square meter will be charged. Along with a cleaning fee of one thousand rupees, the total fee for one street corner meeting will be ₹8,200.
A deposit of ₹10,000 and ₹4,000, respectively, will also be charged for these two types of campaign meetings. Large rallies can also be held at the PMC's playgrounds, amenity spaces, and school grounds. Deputy Commissioner Somnath Bankar said that the fee will be charged based on the area occupied.
List of rules
- One and a half times the fee will be charged as a penalty for non-payment.
- The penalty will be collected by the election branch.
- A no-objection certificate from the traffic branch and local police is required for meetings at corners and intersections.
- A 10-by-10-foot canopy can be erected for the meeting. No digging is allowed on the road or footpath for this purpose.
- A fine of two thousand rupees will be imposed for each hole dug in the road for the canopy.
- If multiple applications are received for the same location at the same time, the decision of the election officer will be binding.
