Kolkata Puja committees will need a no-objection certificate from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to install temporary advertising hoardings, banners and flexes during this year’s Durga Puja, with the civic body introducing the requirement for the first time.
The permission will be issued as a “one-time special permission for organising Puja only”. Committees will have to apply in a specified format and submit details of the temporary structure and the area where it will be installed. They will also have to provide declarations accepting responsibility for compliance with the civic conditions.
Under the new rules, bamboo scaffolding and other temporary structures used for advertising cannot exceed 22 feet from ground level “under any circumstances”. The KMC has also said that public safety and traffic movement will receive “paramount consideration” while permissions are processed.
Temporary hoardings and banners will not be permitted on road dividers or median verges. They must not obstruct, or “adversely affect”, the visibility of an existing bus passenger shelter or a duly permitted street hoarding. The structures will have to remain structurally stable throughout the permitted period.
The civic body has retained a defined window for installing and displaying temporary Puja advertisements. Structures cannot be installed more than seven days before Mahalaya and must be removed within seven days of Dashami. With Mahalaya falling on October 10, the permitted period for obtaining an NOC and displaying the temporary structures will run from October 3 to October 28.
Each Puja committee will have to undertake to remove all temporary advertising structures within seven days of Bijoya Dashami at its own cost. Failure to comply could result in financial penalties. One of the mandatory declarations requires committees to accept responsibility for “any untoward incident arising out of, or concerned with,” the temporary structures, according to the conditions reported by The Telegraph.
The new permission system places the responsibility for temporary advertising infrastructure more clearly on the organisers while giving the KMC a formal mechanism to regulate its location, height and removal. It also links advertising permissions to pedestrian movement, traffic visibility and the functioning of public transport facilities such as bus shelters.
The rules come as Kolkata prepares for the annual festival, when temporary structures and advertisements are installed across neighbourhoods and along major roads. Committees will need to submit their applications and structure-related details to the KMC next week before installing the permitted advertising infrastructure.
