Thane hoardings have come under scrutiny after the Congress alleged that around 90% of advertising structures in the city violate Maharashtra’s prescribed limits on height and size. The party has demanded action by the Thane Municipal Corporation and warned of a fast if the civic body does not act within a month.
Thane | September 11, 2026 — The issue follows a response from the municipal administration to a request for information submitted by Marzia Pathan, a Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) councillor. The response, issued by the civic body’s advertising department deputy commissioner Jitendra Nikam, described the provisions governing advertising hoardings under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations (Erection of Sky-signs and Advertisement) Regulation and Control Rules, 2022.
According to the rules cited in the municipal response, the permitted standard size of an advertising hoarding is up to 40 feet by 30 feet. The maximum height must not exceed 40 feet from the level of the road concerned. The rules also state that permissions cannot be granted for hoardings larger than the prescribed standard size, according to the information reported by Loksatta.
Congress’s former Thane city president Vikrant Chavan cited the municipal administration’s response while alleging that most of the city’s hoardings do not comply with these provisions. He claimed that approximately 90% of advertising boards in Thane have been erected in violation of the height and size requirements. The figure is a political allegation reported by the party and was not independently established in the material available for this report.
Chavan also alleged that several hoardings in the city exceed the 40-foot height limit and that some structures are two or three times larger than the permitted 40-by-30-foot dimensions. The reported allegations raise questions about how permissions were issued, how existing structures are monitored and whether the municipal corporation maintains an updated inventory of authorised advertising boards.
The rules apply within the Thane Municipal Corporation area and place the civic administration at the centre of the approval and enforcement process. Any action against allegedly unauthorised hoardings would require the corporation to assess individual structures against the applicable height, size and permission requirements.
Congress has demanded that the municipal administration begin action against hoardings that breach the rules. Chavan has warned that the party will undertake a fast if the civic body does not take action within one month. The municipal administration’s reported response sets out the applicable limits but does not, in the available material, confirm that 90% of the city’s hoardings are illegal or announce a citywide enforcement drive.
