AG's Report 2015: Weaknesses in managing outdoor billboards cost Malacca RM1.51m in revenue

MALACCA: Weaknesses in managing the outdoor billboards on government land and reserve land in Malacca cost the state government RM1.51 million in revenue, acording to the 2015 Auditor-General's Report Series 2 tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today.

The audit found that billboards erected in the Malacca Historical City Council (MBMB) areas and on government reserve land did not have the approval of the city council and the Melaka Tengah District and Land Council, which resulted in the loss of revenue, it said.

It said the audit also found that 21 billboards of four companies installed in the city council areas did not have the display licence, resulting in a loss of RM272,118 in revenue that was to have gone to the local authority.

"A total of 1,155 display licences for outdoor billboards were issued by the MBMB with total revenue of RM449,125 for the installation of billboards by concessionaires between 2013 and 2015," the report said.

The audit also found shortcomings such as the installation of the billboards not being to specification, no maintenance of the billboard structures, the billboards having no public protection insurance and no submission of billboard structure plans. — Bernama