The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has directed Ganpati and Navratri mandals, advertisers and other stakeholders not to place advertisements on Mumbai roads and footpaths in ways that obstruct pedestrian movement or vehicular traffic during the festivals.
The directive from BMC commissioner Ashwini Bhide comes as thousands of devotees are expected to take to the streets for Ganeshotsav, which begins on Monday. The civic administration has asked mandals to follow its rules for commercial advertising and to ensure that festival installations do not reduce the space available to pedestrians.
The order forms part of the BMC’s “Pedestrian First” campaign, under which the civic administration is introducing measures to improve pedestrian movement across Mumbai in phases. In the first phase, the BMC has identified a dedicated number of footpaths, with ward-level officials instructed to ensure that they remain free of encroachments.
Under the advertising rules, commercial messages from donors may be displayed on the left and right vertical portions of a traditional mandal entrance gate. The upper horizontal portion may carry a message welcoming devotees. Mandals have also been told to avoid advertisements for gutka, tobacco products and other prohibited products.
Digital screens measuring up to 10 feet by 10 feet may be installed by mandals to display public-interest and health messages, as well as commercial advertisements. Such screens will require no-objection certificates from both the traffic police department and the local police station, according to the rules outlined by the civic administration.
Bhide has directed ward-level officials and the BMC licensing department to monitor compliance and remove advertisement boards that obstruct pedestrian movement. The restrictions will remain applicable during the festivals and after immersion, extending the civic administration’s oversight beyond the main celebration period.
Mandals have been asked to remove advertisement boards on their own by the day after immersion. The BMC has also appealed to organisers to conduct commercial advertising in a disciplined manner without diluting the religious and social character of the celebrations.
