Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The state capital’s skyline seems to be hijacked by illegal hoardings and unipoles with more than 1,500 unauthorised billboards present across major roads, intersections and railway land despite strict outdoor media regulations.
Official records reveal that only 605 hoardings currently hold approval from Bhopal Municipal Corporation Hoarding Cell. However, permissions are also being issued by multiple government bodies including Public Works Department (PWD), Bhopal Development Authority (BDA), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and the Railways, creating overlapping control and weak enforcement.
Adding to the concern, two other departments within the BMC are also reportedly issuing advertisement permissions. Bhopal City Link Limited alone has issued nearly 150 permits at bus stops while corporation’s Swachh Bharat Mission department reportedly has no official data regarding the number of permissions it has granted.
According to BMC officials, more than 1,200 large hoardings and unipoles, many of them standing neglected for years, continue to dominate the city’s prime corridors. About 200 such structures are located on railway land alone. Officials claimed that of all hoardings across the city, only 939 have formal approvals from BMC Hoarding Cell or other government agencies. The remaining structures are categorised as illegal.
Safety norms ignored
A 2021 survey conducted by BMC Hoarding Cell found that nearly every municipal zone has about 100 hoardings. Of these, about 60 large boards measuring between 200 and 400 sq ft and 20 smaller boards under 200 sq ft were officially authorised.
However, there are many “legal” hoardings also exceeding the maximum permitted size of 400 sq ft, raising concerns over structural safety and visual pollution. Several VIP roads and link roads, from where hoardings were removed years ago over safety concerns are now crowded with giant unipoles.
Along the Narmadapuram Road cycle track, newly installed structures are reportedly violating prescribed height and dimension norms. The Outdoor Media Display Rules, which mandate a minimum distance of 50 metres between two hoardings are also being openly flouted with advertisement boards installed almost side by side.
Hoardings permitted by BMC, agencies
BMC unipoles: 220
Private unipoles: 225
Unicorp gantry boards: 160
BCLL: 150
Railways: 110
BHEL: 74
80% hoardings lack stability report
The absence of structural safety audits has emerged as a major concern. Sources within the BMC claimed that nearly 80% of hoardings in the city do not possess mandatory MANIT (Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology) stability report required for structural certification. Despite granting permissions, neither the Hoarding Cell nor zonal officials ensured submission of these reports, sources alleged.
“We have requested stability reports for all types of hoardings. Municipal teams conduct inspections periodically. Any hoardings declared illegal will be removed.”
Sanskriti Jain, municipal commissioner
