Ban on hoardings, but relaxed for a select few

A blanket ban, imposed in the city almost six years ago, on advertisement hoardings more than 15 feet in height, has been relaxed multiple times with interventions from the State government.

The ban was imposed in 2020, by way of a Government Order, after significant property damages were reported due to collapse of hoardings after stormy weather. Keeping public safety in mind, the government had placed a ban on large hoardings.

However, the prohibition was never implemented in full spirit, as could be seen from the large ads being displayed on Metro Rail stations from a height more than 15 feet.

In addition, the government has issued orders on multiple occasions subsequently, exempting advertisements at certain locations in the city in isolated instances. No compelling reasons were given in each instance though they all flew in the face of the aspect of public safety mentioned in the orders banning the hoardings.

In the first instance, the government issued orders on March 15, 2024, relaxing rules and according permission for display of LED digital static advertisement boards on foot-over-bridges (FOBs) at LV Prasad Eye Institute and also Muffakham Jah College at Banjara Hills, for a fee. While initially the permission was given for six months by the government, extensions have been given since then, for the same ad agency.

The second instance the ban was relaxed was around the same time in case of the multi-level parking at KBR National Park. The smart and mechanised parking facility for two and four wheelers was given out to the agency on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer basis, for a concession period of 10 years, extendable by five more years.

On both occasions, the ban was lifted at locations where inclement weather had earlier caused higher damage by way of tree and hoarding collapses, undermining the principle of public safety.

“The ban has all along existed only for small players in the advertising field, who would eke out a living by displaying rooftop advertisements. The government has relaxed the rules multiple times for ad agencies with big money. We were pushed out of the city by the ban, and now, with GHMC expansion, we are being eliminated from the scene. There should be a comprehensive, equitable advertisement policy by the government,” demanded K. Ramesh of the Telangana Outdoor Media Owners’ Association.