Billboards' free run to end

A new advertising code for the outdoor media in Delhi is on the cards. The advertising code, to be out by the end of the month, is being drafted by a two-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court of India.

Sunita Narain, director at the Centre for Science and Environment, and Bhure Lal, a former bureaucrat who's been responsible for the introduction of several environmental standards in the country, are the members of the committee that is putting together the outdoor media policy for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

The committee's mandate is to formulate a draft code that takes into account traffic safety as well as the aesthetics of the city. Among the issues that the committee is looking at is whether or not private buildings should be allowed to display hoardings.

The policy is expected to spell out the size as well as the sites (traffic lights, fast lanes etc) of the hoardings. The policy is also likely to include the percentage of the revenue that outdoor media owners will have to share with the local government bodies that auction the sites for advertising purposes.

CSE's Sunita Narain refused to share the details of the code being finalised for the city. "We have received comments from the Delhi Transport Corporation, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and the Delhi Traffic Police among other stake holders. We are waiting for the Delhi Urban Arts Commission's views before we can present our recommendations," she said.

In view of the booming Rs 1,200 crore (Rs 12 billion) outdoor industry, clarity on rules governing the media is extremely critical. New out-of-home media options such as public utilities, street furniture (bus shelters), and transit media (metro rail, autos, radio taxis) are now available.

However, since the Supreme Court had banned hoardings in Delhi in 1997, the city's outdoor spends (Rs 250 crore or Rs 2.5 billion) are way behind Mumbai's at Rs 800 crore (Rs 8 billion).

The Supreme Court appointed the two-member committee on outdoor when the Delhi Outdoor Media Association approached the court against a high court ruling that ordered the removal of all unipoles (small billboards on lightening poles) auctioned by the MCD.

Ritesh Vasudeva, promoter of Hindustan Publicity which owns 50 major sites in Delhi, said that the MCD and the outdoor association had sought legal help and their lawyer had argued that the Supreme Court order had been misinterpreted. "We said that the court had not put a blanket ban on hoardings. It had objected to the hoardings that were a traffic hazard," he said.

The court accepted the argument and said that the MCD did not have any regulations for the outdoor media and that it needed to have detailed guidelines for the sector.

Eventually the two member committee comprising Bhure Lal and Narain was set up. The recommendations of the committee are eagerly awaited as the code is likely to set a precedent for other cities as well.