The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has called on the Mumbai Police and the Traffic Department to monitor digital hoardings that remain illuminated after 11 PM. The civic body has stipulated that all digital hoardings must be switched off by this time. In a review meeting held on June 12, following a High Court order in the case of PIL number 155/2017, concerns were raised about unauthorized hoardings, posters, and boards. The Additional Chief Secretary (Home) noted that numerous illuminated billboards continue to operate past 11 PM, violating Section 16 (y) (1) of Part-2 of the Advertising Guidelines 2008.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Special) Kiran Dighavkar has subsequently written to the Traffic Department and Mumbai Police (Law and Order), urging them to increase night patrols and inspect digital hoardings after the designated switch-off time. He requested that any violations be documented with a GPS timestamped photograph and reported to the local municipal officer for appropriate action. On June 13, Dighavkar also reached out to the License Department of BMC, seeking a report on the size of all hoardings in relation to their permitted dimensions, the adherence to the switch-off time for digital hoardings, and the display of QR codes on hoardings. The report is expected within seven days. A senior civic official stated that officials from the City, Eastern, and Western suburbs have been instructed to submit their findings within a week.
Dighavkar warned officials against submitting false information, emphasizing that strict action would be taken against any team found to be providing inaccurate data. The BMC reports a total of 1,025 licensed hoardings under its jurisdiction, including 573 illuminated, 382 non-illuminated, and 70 LED hoardings. Andheri (West) has the highest number of hoardings at 134, followed by Khar with 129. Mulund, Fort, Colaba, and surrounding areas have the fewest licensed hoardings.