The BMC’s draft policy on digital hoardings lacks crucial regulations on illumination, colour, height, and video displays, activists said while issuing their feedback to the civic body.
Urging the BMC to implement stricter guidelines to safeguard public safety and protect the environment, the activists said that this oversight could increase driver distractions and accident risks, especially with hoardings on road medians. Additionally, unchecked light pollution could harm future generations’ vision.
Following the tragic collapse of a giant billboard on a Ghatkopar petrol pump on May 13, which caused 17 deaths, the BMC issued a draft hoarding policy two weeks ago. The deadline for submitting suggestions and objections is August 26.
Sumaira Abdulali of Awaaz Foundation has highlighted that inappropriate placement of bright or moving displays can cause glare and distract drivers, leading to accidents. She advocates for regulations similar to those in other countries, including setting a maximum illuminance limit for digital hoardings, banning video and animation content, requiring adaptive brightness based on ambient conditions, setting a dwell time of eight to 10 seconds for video displays, regulating hoarding locations with strict guidelines and citizen input and forming a committee with NGOs and experts to oversee and monitor displays.
She has also requested to extend the deadline for citizens' feedback and public hearings before the draft policy is notified.
Nicholas Almeida and Godfrey Pimenta of WatchDog Foundation said, “No hoardings must be permitted near fully grown trees and near traffic signals. Digital advertising on road medians should be prohibited as it poses a significant distraction to drivers, potentially leading to accidents.”
“The guidelines should limit the number of hoardings and banners per area and specify distances between them to prevent visual clutter. The current draft distances may lead to congestion, compromising a clean urban environment,” they added.
Pimenta suggested that the BMC should mandate the re-erection or replacement of large metal hoardings that have outlived their service life, akin to redevelopment guidelines for buildings after 30 years, to enhance public safety.
A senior civic official, speaking anonymously, said, “The draft policy fails to specify ideal illumination levels for digital hoardings, complicating citizen objections.”
He pointed out that hoardings on sea-links and highways expose drivers and passengers to excessive brightness, which should be adjusted according to day and night conditions. Prolonged exposure to such intense light could pose serious risks to public vision over time.
“The BMC will earn revenue from digital hoardings, but at what cost? It is our responsibility to restrict illumination levels and ensure public safety,” he added.
‘BMC Act do not apply to hoardings on railway property’
In a letter dated August 20, the Central Railway objected to the BMC’s draft, referencing a 2017 Bombay High Court judgment. The CR said that provisions of the BMC Act do not apply to hoardings on railway property. They mentioned that the draft policy creates a mis-impression within the advertising market and other govt agencies by implying that it governs railway hoardings.
