Thane | September 11, 2026
Thane city’s hoarding regulations have come under scrutiny after Congress alleged that around 90% of advertising boards in the municipal area violate state-prescribed limits on height and size. The party has demanded action against the structures, citing a response from the Thane Municipal Corporation’s advertising department that sets out the applicable rules.
According to the municipal administration’s response, the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations (Sky-signs) and Advertisements Display Regulation and Control Rules, 2022, permit advertising boards up to a standard size of 40 feet by 30 feet. The rules also provide that a hoarding’s maximum height should not exceed 40 feet from the level of the adjoining road.
The information was provided after Marziya Pathan, a Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) corporator, sought details from the civic administration about the rules governing advertising boards. The response was issued by Jitendra Nikam, the municipal corporation’s deputy commissioner for the advertising department.
Congress former city president Vikrant Chavan cited the municipal communication while alleging that approximately 90% of the hoardings in Thane are unauthorised or do not comply with the prescribed standards. He alleged that several boards in the city exceed the 40-foot height limit and that some are substantially larger than the permitted 40-by-30-foot dimensions.
The municipal response establishes the limits cited by the political parties, but the material available in the report does not include a civic survey or inspection record confirming the exact proportion of non-compliant hoardings. The 90% figure therefore remains an allegation attributed to Congress rather than an independently verified municipal finding.
The dispute places responsibility on the municipal administration to determine whether individual hoardings have valid permissions and comply with the 2022 rules. Congress has demanded action against boards found to be in violation and, according to the report, warned that it would begin a hunger strike if action is not taken within one month.
The report does not specify the number of hoardings covered by the municipal corporation’s permissions, the locations of the allegedly oversized structures, or the enforcement measures proposed against advertising companies. The next step is expected to be the civic administration’s assessment of the hoardings against the height and size limits cited in its written response.
