Aiming to streamline the alleged random display of hoardings and increase income, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is considering introducing revised advertising policies.

Since the last financial year, KMC had been putting efforts to regularize the advertising policy. The civic body had even set a target of Rs 100 crore from advertising in the last fiscal. However, the target could not be reached.

Apart from the income aspect, the civic body is also asserting on minimizing visual pollution. According to sources in KMC, on many city roads, enormous hoardings having uneven shape and size have been put up that create visual pollution. The KMC is therefore, stressing to improve its income from this wing. The civic body is said to have drafted a new policy which is to be placed in the KMC‘s meeting of the members-mayor-in-council for approval.

As informed by sources, the revised policy includes specific rules that would be introduced for display of banners and hoarding placards in the city. To begin with, the city has been divided into three zones for putting up advertisements and hoardings. Kolkata would also have a ‘no advertisement zone’ where no hoardings would be allowed. The second one would be categorized as a ‘green zone’ where advertisements would be allowed only with the permission of the civic body. The third one would be under the ‘private hoarding free zone,’ in which only government advertisements would be allowed. According to sources in the KMC, areas like Camac Street and Park Street have been included in the private hoarding free zone.

According to the new policy, no advertisement would be allowed for display on cantilever poles, traffic signal poles, secondary poles or even the police assistance booths of the city police. Even government organizations like Metro railway, Eastern Railway or any other agency would have to obtain permission from the municipal corporation putting up hoardings on the city streets. The organizations would also have to pay a certain amount of fee to the corporation.

The drafted advertising policy also includes some set of rules and restrictions. According to sources, as per the drafted regulations, the use of PVC on hoardings would have to be replaced with environment-friendly materials like fabrics. Also, hoardings would not be allowed on old dilapidated buildings. The policy also restricts the use of nails on trees.

According to sources in the KMC, with the model code of conduct in place, the new policy is likely to be implemented after the ongoing polls.