OOH policy already exists. What’s stopping BMC from enforcing it? asks industry

Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde’s call for a year-round “flex-free Mumbai” campaign may sound like a strong push to clean up the city’s advertising landscape. But for the outdoor advertising industry, the announcement raises a more fundamental question: what is stopping the BMC from enforcing the policy it already has?

The industry’s response is not against the Mayor’s stated objective. In fact, organised OOH players have much to gain from a cleaner, safer and more accountable outdoor advertising ecosystem. The concern is that Mumbai already has a comprehensive advertising policy, while the proliferation of illegal banners, posters and hoardings continues largely because enforcement remains inconsistent.

And there is another uncomfortable reality that industry veterans point to: a significant proportion of such unauthorised advertising is allegedly put up by political parties and elected representatives themselves.

Praveen Vadhera, former CEO of the Indian Outdoor Advertising Association (IOAA), believes this makes the Mayor’s proposal particularly difficult to implement. “Most of these illegal ads are promoted by politicians, and that too by elected representatives. So I wonder how the BMC will get around it,” he says.

Vadhera argues that unless there is a meaningful deterrent, periodic drives against illegal advertising are unlikely to change the situation. “This will continue given the corruption unless there is foolproof legislation with stringent penalties—such as disbarment from elections or cancellation of licences. Otherwise, it will continue as business as usual, with a few media owners paying negligible financial penalties that they can afford,” he adds.

Atul Shrivastava, CEO, Laqshya Media, said the BMC must take action against illegal ads. “It not only disturbs the cityscape, causes loss of revenue to BMC but also eats away the revenues of the companies taking the media through legal tenders. Strongest action should be taken against unauthorised media and its operators,” he shared.

Also Read: Mayor’s ‘Flex-Free Mumbai’ Push: Illegal ads put OOH’s credibility under scrutiny again

The enforcement gap 

The BMC’s Advertising Policy Guidelines 2025, which came into force after the Ghatkopar tragedy in 2024, already provide a regulatory framework for outdoor advertising, including provisions governing permissions and unauthorised advertisements. The policy also empowers the civic body to remove illegal advertisements at the cost of the concerned agency.

Yet, the entire Mumbai Metro Region and even interior of Maharashtra are full of illegal banners and posters, industry leaders admit. Most of these advertisements feature politicians and are floated by political parties only which explains the catch 22 situation of the civic bodies, industry leaders argue. The BMC has launched several campaigns over the years to remove such unauthorised advertisements, but they inevitably return.

According to Ritesh Bhat, VP, Connect Network, “The issue is not about having less outdoor advertising, but ensuring that what exists is legal, safe, accountable and adds value to the urban environment.” According to him, unauthorised flexes not only create visual clutter but also hurt companies that operate within the regulatory framework.

Shahid Hakim, Founder, Wallop Advertising, shares, “Removing illegal banners and hoardings is in the interest of the city’s beautification and betterment. However, the BMC has been unable to curb the menace partly because the infrastructure and resources available to the civic authority are limited. Anyone can put up a banner, anywhere, while each ward has only one Senior Inspector and one Inspector, who cannot possibly monitor every location. The size of the wards makes the task even more challenging.”

Another reason for the enforcement gap is political pressure. “At times, there is pressure on the civic authority not to take action,” Hakim claims. 

That makes the latest political push less about creating a new regulatory framework and more about ensuring that the existing one is actually implemented. An agency head told e4m, “For legitimate OOH media owners and ad agencies, this distinction is critical. A compliant media owner spends on permissions, infrastructure, structural safety, maintenance and technology, while an unauthorised operator can put up a flex or even big billboards overnight without bearing comparable regulatory or compliance costs.”

The result is not merely visual clutter. It creates an uneven playing field for an industry that has been trying to formalise itself and attract greater advertiser confidence. 

“The Mayor’s proposed QR-based verification system could potentially help address part of the problem by making it easier for authorities and citizens to distinguish authorised from unauthorised advertising. But industry executives say technology will work only if enforcement is universal,” said an IOAA member. 

Can enforcement be equal for political, commercial ads?

This is where the initiative faces its biggest test. The Mayor has called for action against unauthorised advertisements irrespective of whether they are commercial, political or social. The industry believes this principle will have to be applied without exception if the campaign is to have any credibility.

Bhat says the proposed QR-based verification could bring “much-needed transparency”, but cautions that its success will depend on consistent enforcement across “commercial, political and social advertising without exception.”

That caveat is significant. Mumbai’s outdoor advertising landscape has long seen banners and flexes put up for political leaders, festivals, birthdays, public events and social causes, alongside conventional commercial advertising. If the regulatory burden falls disproportionately on registered OOH companies while unauthorised political or social advertising continues unchecked, the initiative could end up reinforcing rather than correcting the existing imbalance.

For the OOH industry, therefore, the issue is not whether Mumbai should become “flex-free”. It is whether the city can become illegal-advertising-free without selective enforcement.

The distinction also matters at a time when OOH itself is becoming increasingly technology-led. Digital OOH, audience measurement, data-led planning and measurable inventory are pushing the organised industry towards greater transparency and accountability.

“As OOH becomes increasingly data-led, technology-enabled and measurable, the industry also needs to become more accountable and transparent,” Bhat says.

A cleaner and better-regulated outdoor environment, he believes, would ultimately improve the quality and value of legitimate media assets while strengthening advertiser confidence in the medium.