Are outdoor advertisements along Delhi’s arterial roads a safety hazard or merely visual clutter? Even as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) plans to permit more forms of advertisements on flyovers and underpasses, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has flagged existing unipoles and hoardings installed by the civic body along national highways as a risk to commuter safety.
The highways authority has argued that these advertisements are distracting and violate Union road transport ministry guidelines, which prohibit hoardings along national highways. However, the civic body’s response has been limited, prompting repeated intervention by the NHAI.
An official aware of the matter said the issue has been raised since last year and was again brought to the attention of the Delhi government and the MCD in a joint meeting earlier this month.
“Notices were issued to the MCD for advertisements along the Ashram–Badarpur stretch, NH-48, NH-148A and MG Road from Andheria Mor to the Delhi-Haryana border, but no response was received from the MCD on site,” the official said.
Frustrated by the lack of corrective action, the secretary of the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) directed in a meeting held last November that details of all illegal hoardings be shared with the MCD for their immediate removal. The ministry also ordered that if the civic body failed to act, the NHAI should remove the hoardings through its own agencies, with the cost to be borne by the MCD, according to an official record of the meeting.
The official cited above said that during the meeting held earlier this month, NHAI reported that its agencies had begun removing hoardings due to the MCD’s inaction but “faced strong resistance from concerned parties, who prevented the removal of advertisement boards.”
Under existing rules, the road transport ministry does not allow advertisement hoardings within the right of way on national highways as they may distract drivers. Limited participation by private firms is permitted only for road signage, and any display is restricted to the firm’s name or logo, without affecting road aesthetics or driver attention.
An MCD spokesperson did not respond to queries seeking comment.
An MCD official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the civic body alone regulates outdoor advertising in Delhi under the Outdoor Advertisement Policy (OAP) 2017, which has been approved by the Supreme Court and forms a major source of revenue for the corporation.
“MCD is allocating advertisement space as per the policy and the powers granted under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act. The policy already contains measures for traffic safety. If there are specific sites to which NHAI has objections, we can jointly examine them,” the official said.
Notably, the OAP 2017 states that outdoor advertisements may be allowed only in a manner that does not obstruct visibility, distract motorists or endanger road safety.