GHMC seeks to relax high-rise billboards in city

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation ( GHMC) drafted a new advertisement policy, which relaxes setting up of billboards, including those made of static LED, above 15 feet from the ground level. The draft has been sent to the state government for approval.

Presently, there is a ban on such advertisement elements.

The GHMC has prepared this draft after studying the advertisement elements and their policies in different cities in the country, said an official from the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) department.

According to the new policy, though LED advertisements are allowed, the ban on the display of motion picture based hoardings will continue.

“The advertisers are not allowed to play even a two second video clip on the LED screens. The advertisement should be strictly static,” said the official.

A source in GHMC said dozens of advertising agencies became ineligible to participate in the tender process after the BRS government issued G.O. Ms. No. 68 on April 20, 2020, The GO banned all advertising elements above 15 feet from ground level and imposed several restrictions on the display of flashy lights.

“The GO left over 100 agencies ineligible to participate in the tender process. Only two companies benefited from it,” the official said, adding that the new policy will democratise the tender process by allowing more companies to participate in it.

To ensure transparency in the advertisement wing, the GHMC asked the Congress, BRS, BJP and AIMIM to nominate a corporator each to the house committee. This committee, which comprises the Mayor, corporators and officials, is being constituted to probe the alleged irregularities in the GHMC Advertisement wing.