<p>Advertisement hoardings, which had been missing from Bengaluru for the past three years following a ban imposed by the BBMP, are now all set to stage a comeback, threatening to once again turn the cityscape into an eyesore. Strategically-located creative billboards can add to the city’s aesthetics and at the same time promote brands and help BBMP garner additional revenue. However, the current rules notified by the urban development department, appear to be a complete sell-out to the hoarding mafia, which has spared no effort to get the ban revoked. With the exception of about a dozen roads, the hoardings, which can now be bigger than those previously permitted, can also be installed anywhere in the city, including on narrow thoroughfares. The new policy also permits all kinds of advertisements, including cloth banners and buntings. When the draft rules were first published by the state government in 2019, the BBMP Council had passed a resolution opposing it, with BJP members alleging that a hidden hand was working behind the scenes to bring hoardings back. Now, ironically, the new rules were approved by the BJP government at the last Cabinet meeting presided over by outgoing chief minister B S Yediyurappa.</p>.<p>The BBMP ban had come after a crackdown by the Karnataka High Court, which ordered removal of all illegal hoardings, buntings and banners following a PIL by Saidatta, a public-spirited citizen, who sought to expose the nexus between bureaucrats and officers in what was touted to be a Rs 2,000-crore scam. Though a single judge of the court later permitted legal hoardings, in reality, the ban continued to remain in force as BBMP found that most billboards within city limits were illegal. The new rules have also failed to consider traffic hazards that haphazardly installed hoardings can cause. An analysis by a UK-based researcher of various studies conducted in different parts of the world, concludes that too much visual clutter at or near intersections and junctions can distract drivers and lead to accidents.</p>.<p>The undue interest shown by the urban development department in notifying the rules on a subject that falls within the BBMP’s domain, that too when the matter is pending before the court, clearly shows that some vested interests could be at work. Instead of announcing such piece-meal measures, the government should evolve a comprehensive policy after adequate consultation with all stakeholders in order to strike a balance between the aesthetics of the city and revenues, without compromising on public safety. Until then, the new rules should be put on hold.</p>
<p>Advertisement hoardings, which had been missing from Bengaluru for the past three years following a ban imposed by the BBMP, are now all set to stage a comeback, threatening to once again turn the cityscape into an eyesore. Strategically-located creative billboards can add to the city’s aesthetics and at the same time promote brands and help BBMP garner additional revenue. However, the current rules notified by the urban development department, appear to be a complete sell-out to the hoarding mafia, which has spared no effort to get the ban revoked. With the exception of about a dozen roads, the hoardings, which can now be bigger than those previously permitted, can also be installed anywhere in the city, including on narrow thoroughfares. The new policy also permits all kinds of advertisements, including cloth banners and buntings. When the draft rules were first published by the state government in 2019, the BBMP Council had passed a resolution opposing it, with BJP members alleging that a hidden hand was working behind the scenes to bring hoardings back. Now, ironically, the new rules were approved by the BJP government at the last Cabinet meeting presided over by outgoing chief minister B S Yediyurappa.</p>.<p>The BBMP ban had come after a crackdown by the Karnataka High Court, which ordered removal of all illegal hoardings, buntings and banners following a PIL by Saidatta, a public-spirited citizen, who sought to expose the nexus between bureaucrats and officers in what was touted to be a Rs 2,000-crore scam. Though a single judge of the court later permitted legal hoardings, in reality, the ban continued to remain in force as BBMP found that most billboards within city limits were illegal. The new rules have also failed to consider traffic hazards that haphazardly installed hoardings can cause. An analysis by a UK-based researcher of various studies conducted in different parts of the world, concludes that too much visual clutter at or near intersections and junctions can distract drivers and lead to accidents.</p>.<p>The undue interest shown by the urban development department in notifying the rules on a subject that falls within the BBMP’s domain, that too when the matter is pending before the court, clearly shows that some vested interests could be at work. Instead of announcing such piece-meal measures, the government should evolve a comprehensive policy after adequate consultation with all stakeholders in order to strike a balance between the aesthetics of the city and revenues, without compromising on public safety. Until then, the new rules should be put on hold.</p>
