Hyderabad civic body orders large format structures’ dismantling owing to safety reasons

GHMC has stopped charging license fee from the media owners on large format hoardings and refuses to renew the licenses

As per the new policy announced by the department of Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) regarding removal of media structures which are above 15 feet from the ground level, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has passed an embargo on the installation of large format OOH sites, ordering immediate dismantling.

This decision has been taken to remove large format hoardings for the safety and security reasons. The corporation has stopped charging license fee on large formats and refuses to renew the licenses.

Hyderabad is expected to undergo several infrastructural changes and the municipal corporation is likely to reposition the OOH sites based on their redevelopment plans. According to the market sources, the new norms will be pertaining to formats, which can bring change to the OOH industry in the city.

Various sites have already been taken down including legal and illegal, both. Some media owners have appealed to the court, but the verdict is expected to take months. However, they have procured a stay order from the Telangana High Court.

Covid19 has caused huge losses to the industry. Hence, this announcement comes as an additional challenge for the Hyderabad outdoor medium.