BMC to not allow hoardings and billboards with politicians’ photos in Mumbai soon

Your city skyline may soon be free of illegal political hoardings wishing leaders on their birthdays or welcoming them to the city.

The Brihanmumbai Mumbai Corporation (BMC) has framed a draft policy for display of advertisements that restricts putting up of billboards with photos of political leaders.

The policy orders immediate removal of illegal hoardings, legal proceedings against the guilty, and revises charges and sizes for hoardings and billboards.

The draft policy has been uploaded on the BMC website for suggestions and objections from citizens for the next 30 days.

The new guidelines encourage use of digital billboards, solar-powered boards and installation of CCTV cameras on them. HT had reported in November that the city may soon get digital billboards.

Currently, the hoardings have flexes that have to be replaced at fixed intervals. Digital billboards will help advertising agencies change the display every 10 seconds. While one control of these billboards will be with the agencies, the other will be with the civic body for monitoring. BMC plans to connect digital boards to their control rooms to send out messages during a disaster. Advertising agencies using such boards will be given rebates.

While the policy does not permit hoardings on rooftops or terrace of a building, it allows multiplexes, shopping and commercial complexes, petrol pumps and malls to apply for digital advertisements.

Nidhi Choudhari, deputy municipal commissioner, said, “The policy has been brought in to strike a balance between enhancing aesthetics and giving a boost to advertising sector. We need strict curbs on illegal and unnecessary hoardings, as we require more informative content on the boards.”

“We cannot completely ignore advertising in a city like Mumbai. The revenue generated from it can help the civic body,” said a senior civic official, requesting anonymity.