Mumbai: The Greater Chennai Corporation is gearing up for a significant non-tax revenue expansion, with plans to generate nearly ₹75 crore annually by monetising outdoor advertising assets across the city starting January 2026.
As part of the initiative, the civic body has floated tenders valued at ₹73 crore, inviting private advertising agencies to design, install and manage display units at thousands of public locations. The project, officials said, marks a shift away from traditional banners, with the new formats expected to resemble compact, standardised installations mounted on streetlight poles and public infrastructure.
According to a senior official from the Revenue and Finance Department, bid documents have already been issued, and the execution phase is expected to begin by mid-January 2026. While the display sizes will be standardised and approved by the Corporation, private players will be responsible for the casing and installation.
Parks, Bus Bays and Roads Form the Backbone
The advertising network spans an extensive footprint of over 14,000 identified sites. Parks form a major component of the plan, with permissions proposed for ad displays across 1,534 parks, offering a cumulative display area of over 52,000 sq. m. Prominent green spaces such as Vijaya Park, Natesan Park, K.K. Nagar Sivan Park, Bharathidasan Colony Park and Amma Park in Saidapet have been included, along with neighbourhood parks in Koyambedu, Arunachalam Colony, RR Colony and Venkatnarayanan Playground.
Bus-related infrastructure is another key focus. The Corporation has earmarked 35 bus bays across Ambattur Estate, Avadi, K.K. Nagar, Thiruverkadu and Vadapalani, together allowing 1,691 sq. m of advertising space. In addition, over 12,200 streetlight poles along bus route roads will carry displays, accounting for more than 34,000 sq. m of ad area.
Major corridors such as Dr. Ambedkar College Road, Villivakkam–Red Hills Road, SRP Colony Main Road, Medavakkam Tank Road and Perambur High Road feature prominently in the list.
Neighbourhoods, Structures and Public Assets
Beyond parks and transport corridors, the project extends into residential and industrial neighbourhoods including Vyasarpadi, MKB Nagar, Mullai Nagar, Sharma Nagar, Korattur, Padi, Paadi and Elango Nagar. Another 614 streetlight poles outside bus routes have also been identified for limited display formats.
Large-format opportunities are planned at two high-footfall structures — the Mambalam–T. Nagar skywalk and the newly built steel bridge in T. Nagar — offering combined advertising capacity of nearly 292 sq. m. The plan further covers 77 Corporation-owned shopping complexes and 50 community locations.
Officials say the initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen the Corporation’s own-source revenues by better leveraging public assets without imposing additional taxes on residents. With a regulated format, uniform sizing and private-sector execution, the GCC expects the outdoor advertising push to create a predictable, recurring income stream while maintaining visual discipline across the city.
If executed as planned, the project could become one of the Corporation’s largest organised outdoor advertising programmes, reshaping how public spaces in Chennai are commercially utilised.
