Mumbai: BMC Removes 40,172 Illegal Ads In 9 Months, Political And Religious Publicity Account For 83 Per Cent

Mumbai, October 7, 2026: Even as Mayor Ritu Tawde launches a “zero-tolerance” drive against Mumbai’s illegal flex banners, hoardings, posters and stickers, BMC figures expose the scale of the city’s visual pollution.

Between January and September 2026, the Licence Department removed 40,172 such advertisements—19,409 political, 14,133 religious and 6,630 commercial—with political and religious publicity accounting for over 83% of the total.

The BMC removed over 39,000 publicity materials during the period, including 28,352 banners, 8,458 hoardings, 2,058 posters and 998 flags, according to its Licence Department.

The crackdown also saw 176 cases filed and 277 complaints lodged with police, though formal police complaints were registered in only two cases. Political advertisement topped the list with 19,409 removals, followed by religious publicity at 14,133 and commercial advertisements at 6,630.

February recorded the highest monthly removals at 6,145, followed by 5,741 in March and 5,550 in April. In September alone, 3,882 publicity materials were removed.

According to a civic official, “The drive targets festive publicity that remained on display even after permissions expired, along with unauthorised banners, hoardings, temporary entry gates, posters and flags erected without civic approval.”

Hoarding Policy Tightens Regulation

Following the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse that claimed 17 lives, the BMC introduced its “Outdoor Advertisement Display” policy last year to tighten regulation of hoardings.

The civic body removes around 15,000–20,000 illegal hoardings annually, with nearly half linked to political or festive publicity. The number typically rises during elections and festivals.

Under the policy, all advertisements require written permission. Violators can face action under Section 471 of the BMC Act, 1888, and the Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1995, including imprisonment of up to three months or a fine of Rs 2,000.

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Publicity Materials Removed

As per civic data, publicity materials removed from January to September 2026:

Banners:

Political — 13,985

Commercial — 3,959

Religious/Social — 10,408

Hoardings:

Political — 3,602

Commercial — 1,860

Religious/Social — 2,996

Posters:

Political — 518

Commercial — 811

Religious/Social — 729

Flags — 998

Wall Posters — 306

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