Regulations strengthen OOH, say key industry players

As the OOH industry awaits government move following the recommendations submitted by the Justice (Retd.) Dilip Bhosale Committee that was constituted after the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse in May 2024, Media4Growth reached out to key industry players to get their take on the recommendations.  It may be recalled that the committee’s recommendations include, among other things, removal of hoardings from terraces, compound walls, or dead walls of buildings, stricter size regulations, mandatory structural audits, uniform safety norms, and higher penalties for violations.  

Industry voices welcome stronger norms 

Rohit Chopra, COO, Times OOH, welcomed the move, emphasizing that public safety must remain the top priority. “We truly welcome the recommendations. They’re a step in the right direction because at the end of the day, our business is about engaging people in public spaces and people’s safety comes first. The unfortunate incident at Ghatkopar reminded all of us that even a single lapse can have devastating consequences,” he said. 

Rohit noted that many of the suggested measures are already present in existing outdoor contracts but often enforced inconsistently. “A lot of what the committee has suggested like structural audits, size norms, and compliance checks are already part of outdoor policies and our contracts. The real difference now will be in how consistently these practices are enforced across the board. Every concessionaire, whether on public or private land, must follow the same protocol. If this happens, it won’t just make the medium safer. It will also help separate responsible operators from those who cut corners. That’s good for the industry and good for the public.” 

From a business standpoint, he sees the changes as positive for the credibility of OOH. “Bringing in standard rules for structure and sizes will reduce the visual clutter we often get criticized for. A cleaner, safer OOH environment makes the medium more attractive for brands and reassuring for citizens. If we adopt these precautionary measures now, we protect not just the public but also the future of the OOH industry,” Rohit added. 

Amit Sheth, Director, Apar Advertisers Pvt Ltd, pointed out that while stricter norms may initially raise compliance costs, they will ultimately strengthen the industry. “The recommendations underline the need for safety and regulatory discipline in the OOH industry. Stricter audits, size limits, and penalties will raise compliance costs and reduce inventory, especially for non-compliant players, while responsible media owners can strengthen their market position with safe, certified, premium sites,” he said. 

He also stressed the importance of safeguarding the digital OOH segment, which has seen significant investment in recent years. “In the medium term, these measures can enhance credibility, build advertiser confidence, and create a more sustainable OOH ecosystem. At the same time, it is crucial that the LED and digital screen segment is protected. Significant investments have already been made, and with practical safety norms, digital OOH can continue to grow responsibly, modernize the industry, and deliver richer brand experiences without compromising public safety,” Amit added. 

Committee composition and approach

The Bhosale Committee was constituted to blend legal, technical, and administrative expertise. Its members included the state’s Director General of Police, an Additional Municipal Commissioner of the BMC, a structural engineering expert from IIT Bombay, an Income Tax officer, and a chartered accountant. Their collective brief was to examine structural safety, regulatory gaps, and systemic shortcomings in the management of hoardings, and to suggest reforms that balance public safety with the city’s growing demand for outdoor advertising. 

The committee’s key recommendations include: 

• Immediate removal of illegal hoardings: the committee has asked civic bodies to identify and remove all unauthorised and illegal hoardings without delay.
• Size, height and location norms: standardise permissible dimensions and prohibit hoardings at risky locations. No hoardings to be permitted on terraces, compound walls, or dead walls of buildings.

• Mandatory structural audits and certification: all existing hoardings must undergo structural stability certification by empanelled structural engineers, with periodic renewals.

• Unified licensing and digital registry: create a state-wide digital registry with GPS mapping for transparent tracking of hoardings, permissions and renewals.
• Single nodal agency / coordinated enforcement: set up a nodal body within municipal corporations or a coordination mechanism across agencies to streamline licensing, monitoring and removals.
• Third-party verification and stricter penalties: independent safety audits, heavier fines, and blacklisting for repeat offenders or negligent contractors.
• Disaster-resilient design norms: mandate wind-load testing and designs that account for extreme weather and environmental stresses.
• Revenue transparency: reforms to ensure fair bidding, stop leakages in license revenues and remove perverse incentives that favour illegal installs.
• Periodic review and monitoring: a monitoring cell to submit regular compliance reports and fast-track remediation.

Government response and next steps 

While the report has spurred widespread industry discussion and media coverage, no official government notification has yet been issued confirming how or when these recommendations will be folded into a new policy framework. 

As the OOH sector awaits clarity from the state government on the adoption of the Bhosale Committee’s report, the leading industry voices are clear: stronger regulation, if implemented uniformly, will help build a safer, more credible, and future-ready outdoor media landscape.