Buses in lieu of advertising rights, was the proposal made by Pune Mahanagar Parivahanan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) to increase its bus fleet without spending money. In June, PMPML invited bids and six companies responded. Seven months down the line, nearly all have lost interest because of the delay in taking a decision. The economic downturn has also made it unviable to offer buses at the promised price. “Some time back, we applied for withdrawing from the tender and sought a return of the earnest money of Rs 10 lakh,” said a representative of one company. A PMPML officer, however, said he had no knowledge of companies withdrawing. “The bus-for-ad proposal is under consideration,” he added. Landmark 360 Media Limited, which made a Rs 1,038 crore bid, offering over 2,300 buses and over 2,500 shelters, was the first to withdraw two months after it applied, saying it was not economically feasible. Their bid was over Rs 1,000 crore more than the second highest. Since then, the proposal has not been making any progress. “PMPML did not act for more than six months. Market conditions are not feasible for this business model,” said Raj Kamal, director, Sanjay Knits, that made a Rs 29.28 crore bid, offering 178 buses and 450 shelters. Laqshya Media Pvt Ltd, which made a bid of Rs 8 crore for 50 buses, is also no longer keen, according to Tej Kohli, associate vice president of the company.
