In Bengaluru, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) new advertisement policy, with activists calling for its immediate withdrawal. The policy, which aims to regulate advertising hoardings in the city, has come under fire from various quarters, who argue that it may create more problems than it solves. The criticism primarily centres around the BBMP’s failure to collect substantial pending dues and concerns over the policy’s implications for the city’s public spaces.
As of now, the BBMP is yet to recover approximately ₹646 crore in pending dues from advertisers who had erected hoardings before 2018. This significant amount highlights the civic body’s struggles in enforcing existing regulations and raises questions about its capacity to implement the new policy effectively. The delay in dues collection has been a point of contention, exacerbating doubts about the new policy’s potential benefits.
In a recent statement, an activist group urged the government and the BBMP to reconsider the new advertisement policy. They contended that permitting advertisements in public spaces could lead to a proliferation of unauthorised hoardings, exacerbating visual pollution and potentially infringing on public safety. The group expressed concerns that the civic body might end up incurring substantial costs in removing illegal advertisement boards, which would likely outweigh any financial gains from the policy’s implementation. The activists further argued that the new policy might disproportionately benefit advertising agencies operating without proper licences, as well as powerful political interests. They warned that such entities could exploit the policy to further entrench their influence, at the expense of the public good. This concern underscores the broader issue of transparency and accountability in the regulation of public spaces.
The debate over the BBMP’s advertisement policy reflects broader concerns about urban governance and the management of public spaces in rapidly growing cities like Bengaluru. While advertising can be a valuable source of revenue, it must be balanced against the need to maintain the aesthetic and functional integrity of urban environments. The criticism levelled against the BBMP’s new policy serves as a reminder of the complex challenges involved in crafting regulations that serve the public interest while accommodating commercial imperatives. As the BBMP grapples with these issues, the call for a more transparent and accountable approach to advertising regulation is likely to grow louder. The city’s residents and civic activists will be closely watching the outcome of this debate, which could set a precedent for how public spaces are managed in other Indian cities.
