If the draft policy of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), popularly called BMC, for outdoor advertising has its way, Mumbai will be completely free of rooftop hoardings. Even glass facades across the city will be free of advertisements, sources privy to the development told e4m. Instead building compound walls and fences will be permitted to have billboards.
e4m reported on Monday about the Maharashtra govt rolling out a new policy for hoardings.
According to highly placed sources, “The draft policy mandates third party insurance and QR codes carrying all information about the agency concerned. It stipulates a minimum 70 meters distance between two large hoardings and a maximum width of 40 feet. It also talks about 30m distance between small boards and stationary vehicles, and 10 ft for skywalks and foot over-bridges.”
A seven-member committee comprising experts from the IIT Mumbai and VJTI has framed rules for luminosity and fixed timings of digital OOH screens as well which will be part of the document, sources told e4m. Details of these norms were not immediately available.
Referred to as SKY Sign Guidelines 2024, the draft policy will be a comprehensive policy with guidelines for almost every kind of OOH display envisaged. It will include rules for shop signages, indoor (public spaces), outdoor displays, balloons, waterfront hoardings, mobile hoardings and digital billboards as well.
“The draft is slated to be unveiled on July 5. The fine prints of the policy would be available only when the final document is made public,” sources said. Notably, e4m reported about the making of this policy on June 14.
The policy is believed to have been prepared in consultation with Ernst & Young in the aftermath of the Ghatkopar incident in which 17 people were killed when a hoarding collapsed in May this year.
The draft has been kept under wraps due to the model code of conduct for the elections of graduates' and teachers' constituencies, results for which were declared on Monday.
The guidelines have set the ball rolling for the much-awaited policy which has the potential to disrupt the businesses of outdoor media owners. Notably, soon after the Ghatkopar tragedy, civic bodies across the Metro region have been removing billboards. Permissions for new hoardings have been virtually stopped, OOH players told e4m.
On Monday, the state government announced in the Assembly that a structural audit would be conducted on hoardings in the Mumbai Metro Region within 30 days.
The officials of the Indian Outdoor Advertisers Association (IOAA) refused to comment on the proposed policy because it is still not in the public domain.
e4m also reached out to Kiran Dighvekar, Assistant Commissioner, BMC, who is in charge of OOH, but is yet to get a response.
Salient features:
- No permissions for rooftop hoarding displays, as buildings are not designed to accommodate the additional structural load of a hoarding
- Only V shape back-to-back placement of hoardings will be allowed. L shape will not
- No displays allowed on glass walls
- The distance between two hoardings should be a minimum 70 meters
- The distance between a mobile hoarding placement and the static installed hoarding should not be less than 30 meters.
- Sites on building compound walls and fences to be allowed henceforth.
- Comprehensive new guidelines for Audit inspection and certification for stability of new structures.
- Mandatory third-party insurance
- Structural audits of all hoardings every two years and geotechnical audits every five years.
- The maximum allowable life for hoardings will be 50 years from the first approval.
SOP
The BMC has readied a Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) for the outdoor industry. Vetted by IIT Bombay and VJTI, the SOP document titled “Guidelines for Design, Audit, Inspection and Certification for Stability of Hoarding Structures” (Hoarding Structure Stability Guidelines-HSSG), aims to ensure structural stability and safety, promoting a standardized approach to design, audit, inspection, and maintenance.
Draft SOP for new hoardings
Requirements:
*Any special precautions pertaining to the structure's location shall be listed in this section.
*Geometry and Google Location of the structure shall be recorded in the design basis report.
*Design codes being adhered to shall be listed. The following design codes shall be referred to during the design of the Hoarding structure:
*IS 456:2000 plain and reinforced concrete- code of practice
*IS 800: 2007 general construction in steel -code of practice
*IS 875: 1987 code of practice for design loads (other than earthquake) for buildings and structures (part 1 dead loads unit weights of building materials and stored materials)
*IS 875:2015 code of practice for design loads (other than earthquake) for buildings and structures (part 3 wind loads)
*IS 1893: part 1 to 4 criteria for earthquake resistant design of structures
*IS 2062- 2011 hot rolled medium and high tensile structural steel-specification
*IS 816: 1969 code of practice for use of metal arc welding for general construction in mild steel
The above list is not exhaustive and additional technical documents/literature/ codes/guidelines referred by the designer shall be clearly mentioned in the DBR.
*Details of the design loads: Dead loads, Live loads, Collateral loads, Wind loads, and Seismic loads. (Mention codal clause for each load parameter)
*Material data regarding the grades and conforming codes.
*Geotechnical investigation report (including location map for boreholes) with the specific recommendation for the type of foundation by Geotechnical consultant shall be a part of DBR. Borehole location should be located within 5m of the center of the foundation.
*The analysis software shall be listed and the input file for analysis software shall be included in the Appendix of the report.
*The analysis results shall be included in the structural design basis report as the end chapter to provide details regarding the results for the safety of the provided member sizes.
*Details for connection design in accordance with the Indian standards shall be provided along with DBR.
*Type of anti-corrosion protection i.e., metalizing process or with zinc-rich primer over the structural steel members.
Drawings to be submitted
- Site location plan with the mention of CTS No.
- General Arrangement drawings.
- Foundation and pedestal drawings.
- Columns and superstructure drawings.
- Fabrication drawing.
Guidelines
In addition to the above, the following shall be strictly followed in the design of hoarding structures:
1)The Consultant to ensure that the building structure does not fall in C1 & C2A category for erecting hoarding on it.
2) The Consultant to ensure & comply that the buildings with age more than 30 years will be required to submit the audit report and the audited building with C3 and C2B category will be only permitted for the hoarding, whereas in C2B category building after repairs within the 90 days after audit certification along with the Licensed Site Supervisor's certification hoarding shall be permitted for the building portion not under distress as certified by the Structural Consultant.
3)The Consultant to ensure & comply that buildings with age less than 30 years will be required to submit the audit report with the stability certification by Structural Consultant, considering the requirement of repairs, if any, completed within the 90 days of audit certification along with the Licensed Site Supervisor's certification.
4)Certificate from the Geotechnical consultant with regards to the suitability of the foundation.
5)Certification from the licensed Site Supervisor for the completion of work as per design.
6)Certificate of the structural consultant with regards to structural stability of newly constructed hoarding.
7) Certificate from Electrical licensed contractor certifying electrical wiring, fittings, and fixtures with special mention of adequacy of earthing.
8) Maximum allowable life for the hoardings will be 50 years from the first approval for the new structure.
9) Submit as-built drawings of the new hoarding.
10) Provisions for the climbing arrangement for regular inspection of the hoarding structure.
11) Perforated sheets to be used for the new hoardings.
12) 50% of the panels (perforated sheets) should have an arrangement for removal and stacking within the hoarding structure (Provision of removing the panels to allow reduction of the 50% wind pressure during the cyclonic conditions). Hence bolted connections are recommended with the locking nut provisions for safety. Allow existing hoarding to comply with this condition within two years.
13) All the welding shall be shop welded. On-site only bolting may be allowed. The structure may be assembled with Bolted/Riveted connections.
14) Test reports and manufacturer's certificate, and test report of material used for construction/fabrication of the hoarding.
15) Structural Consultants certification for the used Steel material on the basis of procurement of steel as per IS certified materials.
16) All other existing norms/bylaws/approvals/criteria/procedures enacted by competent authorities shall be complied with.
17) The supporting structure should have a non-reflective finish to prevent glare.
18) No generator running on diesel/petrol/kerosene or any biofuel causing noise, air, or water pollution would be allowed to provide power for illumination of any other advertising device.
19) To promote the conservation of electricity, the illumination at all outdoor advertising devices may draw power from alternate renewable resources like solar power.
20) No cladding allowed for the hoardings as the same will make it complex to inspect any member.
Tests on concrete:
Cube compression test.
Test on reinforcement steel
Tensile test including bend, rebend and weight per meter.
Test on structural steel
Tensile test including weight per meter.
Cross-sectional dimensions with thickness.
Test on welded connections
Dye penetration test.
Magnetic particle inspection test.
Guidelines for Existing Hoarding
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Draft SOP for existing hoardings
Documents to be submitted:
1)Site layout plan.
2)Google map location.
3)As Built drawings.
4)Detailed structural audit report.
5)Certificate from Geotechnical consultant with regards to the suitability of the existing foundation after every five terms of renewal or 10 years.
6)Certificate from structural consultant with regard to the stability of hoarding structure after every renewal of 2 years.
7)Report on details of repairs carried out.
8)Certificate from Electrical licensed contractor certifying electrical wiring, fittings, and fixtures with special mention of adequacy of earthing.
9) For hoarding on the building, the stability certification from the original consultant, who had designed the building. In the absence of the availability of the original consultant, the stability certification should be received from a registered consultant and verified from an educational institute from any of IT/VJTI/SPCE.
10) DBR after every 10 years.
11) The Consultant to ensure that the building structure does not fall in C1 & C2A category for erecting hoarding on it.
12) The Consultant to ensure & comply that the buildings with age more than 30 years will be required to submit the audit report and the audited building with C3 and C2B category will be only permitted for the hoarding, whereas in C2B category building after repairs within the 90 days after audit certification along with the Licensed Site Supervisor's certification & hoarding shall be permitted for the building portion not under distress as certified by Structural Consultant.
13) The Consultant to ensure & comply that buildings with age less than 30 years will be required to submit the audit report with the stability certification by Structural Consultant, considering the requirement of repairs, if any, completed within the 90 days of audit certification along with the Licensed Site Supervisor's certification.
14) No cladding allowed for the hoardings as the same will make it complex to inspect any member.
15)All other existing norms/bylaws/approvals/criteria/procedures enacted by competent authorities shall be complied with.
16) The supporting structure should have a non-reflective finish to prevent glare.
17) No generator running on diesel/petrol/kerosene or any bio-fuel causing noise, air, or water pollution would be allowed to provide power for the illumination of any other advertising device.
18) To promote the conservation of electricity, the illumination at all outdoor advertising devices may draw power from alternate renewable resources like solar power.
Structural audit report
The following points shall be incorporated in the structural audit report:
- Google location map.
- Brief about the existing hoarding including age of hoarding, type of structure, etc.
- As Built drawing of the Foundation and Hoarding superstructure.
- Thickness measurement using ultrasonic thickness gauge (15-20 % of steel members).
- Test of welded connections using Dye penetration test and magnetic particle inspection test.
- Photographs showing the condition of the members, joints, base plate and connection at footing.
- Tilt of the structure if any shall be measured and mentioned in the report.
- Condition of the Painting/ Anti-corrosion coatings.
- Specific recommendations for repairs of superstructure, columns and foundation as the case may be.
- Specific recommendation for anti-corrosive coating/paint.
- Specific mention of the period within which the repair should be initiated.
- Compliance of the repairs recommended/ suggested by the consultant.
- Photographs after repairs.
