Editorial: Hoarding horror

Last week, a giant billboard in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area collapsed on a petrol pump due to gusty winds and unseasonal rains, killing 16 persons and injuring 75. The gigantic 250-tonne structure was installed without the authorisation of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Law enforcement officers said there were procedural lapses on the part of every agency involved in approving the proposal for the 120 by 120 feet hoarding that was being erected in the premises of a petrol pump (the permissible limit is 40 by 40 feet). There is public pressure on BMC to inspect and take action on illegal or unstable hoardings in the city, and to ask the Railways and Mumbai Port Trust to provide stability certificates for others.

Taking a cue from the Mumbai authorities, the Greater Chennai Corporation removed as many as 426 private hoardings in the city, a measure that was initiated by the Commissioner. The city is no stranger to the tragic consequences that entail the erection of such illegal structures.

In 2019, a 23-year-old woman lost her life after a hoarding fell on her on 200-feet Radial Road at Pallikaranai. Then, in June 2023, three workers were crushed after a huge hoarding that they were erecting collapsed at Thekkalur in Coimbatore district. It is worth recalling that back in 2008, the state government had banned hoardings. However, two years ago, as people continued erecting illegal hoardings in spite of the ban, the state decided to regulate the installation of banners.

The GCC says that it has controlled the installation of at least 95 pc of the banners in the city. Although the local administration dismantles illegal hoardings periodically, it is a challenge for the authorities to regulate the hoardings erected by private companies.

As per the GCC rules, for buildings up to 18m in height, hoardings must be 3m tall; for buildings 18-36m tall, hoardings should be 4.5m in height; for buildings over 36m, 6m high hoardings are permitted. Interestingly, under the TN Urban Local Bodies Rules, 2023, and the Chennai City Corporation Licensing of Hoardings and Levy and Collection of Advertisements Tax Rules, 2023, the GCC has not issued even one licence for a hoarding so far. As many as 1,100 applications are under process and the Corporation is staring at a revenue loss of Rs 63.6 lakh/sqm for not having regulated hoardings since 2022.

According to experts in the policy space, the two issues hindering the enforcement of advertising by city corporations are the lack of transparency and intermittent reinforcement. What is also a pain point is that state governments, in their eagerness to raise revenues through outdoor advertisement hoardings have been adopting a liberal attitude to massive displays, unmindful of how they end up becoming an eyesore on stretches. Town planners believe that city-level policies or bye-laws must specify the course of action that must be initiated by the corporation officials in the aftermath of identifying unauthorised hoardings. Officials failing to remove such illegal structures despite complaints must also be taken to task. Here in Tamil Nadu, the TNULB Rules require municipal officials to review the licensing of hoardings every three months and submit quarterly reports to the chief administrative officer of the urban local body. Corporations could also consider beefing up platforms and mechanisms for citizens to report violations, and ensure compliance through technological interventions such as embossing QR codes on all authorised hoardings.