Rapid urbanization, tourism growth, economic development  and precipitated consumerism are ushering radical transformation of the urban landscape with its indelible imprints manifested through advertisement hoardings/billboards which has steered up visual pollution in  most of the urban centers, affecting the quality of life and urban environment. This visual clutter through countless manmade features are entitled Visual Pollution Objects (VPOs) that contribute to visual pollution. Billboards and outdoor advertisements are considered as the biggest source of visual pollution, with their uncontrolled placements, sizes, and colors causing highway hazards, mental health issues, and cultural devastation. However, due to their economic significance, a complete proscription on outdoor advertisements is not feasible. Different countries have adopted diverse regulatory responses to handle the outdoor advertisements. São Paulo stands out, has imposed a complete ban on billboards, while others have focused on regulating placement, size, color, and content. Most of the developing countries are struggling with the management of billboards and hoardings and are in the process of introducing regulatory frameworks for effective control.

SRINAGAR TOURIST CITY- GROWING VISUAL ASTAGAMTISM

Srinagar, the largest city in Jammu and Kashmir, is not only an important economic hub but also a popular tourist destination. However, the city's landscape is marred  and blemished by a proliferation of incompatible and hostile hoardings and billboards that create visual pollution and ruin the scenic beauty of its grotesque surroundings. Advertisement hoardings are commonly used for marketing and promotion, but in Srinagar, they are placed without considering the city's tourist character or its capital city image. These unregulated hoardings/ billboards, hanging wires, and jumbled erected poles contribute to a chaotic and muddled look that detracts from the city's serenity and beauty. The indiscriminate placement of these hoardings has negative implications for the city's economy, environment, and the people living in and visiting Kashmir. Srinagar's once picturesque skyline, adorned with snow-clad peaks, is now dominated by jumbled and giant hoardings/billboards advertising various products and services. This trend reflects the growing consumerism and competition for attention but undermines the city's natural beauty and cultural heritage. The issue of improper installation and lack of maintenance of these hoardings is a concern for the urbanites, as it gives anawful impression of the city and poses a threat to the economy.

Although efforts are being made under the Smart City project to restore Srinagar's former glory but the issue of hoardings remains unresolved. The Srinagar Municipal Corporation has numerous hoarding structures in need of renovation, while illegal installations continue to be rampant across Kashmir. Private individuals are the primary violators, with authorities either unable to monitor or turning a blind eye to the issue. These violations highlight the negligence of institutions and urban bodies, responsible for regulating such matters. Additionally, the failure to follow rules regarding payments for hoardings results in significant financial losses for urban local bodies. Various institutions and coaching centers also contribute to the problem by using posters, walls, vehicles, and bridges for self-promotion, further degrading the city's appearance. Hoardings are not limited to poles and walls but is also found on electricity poles, traffic signboardsand private boundary walls, raising questions about the effectiveness of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation in keeping the city visually clean.Despite the existence of anti-defacement laws, strict punishment for defacing government property, these are rarely enforced. Occasional drives by urban local bodies to enforce hoarding laws have limited impact and do not effectively address the concern. The rampant presence of illegal hoardings and the lack of proper regulation and enforcement not only detract from Srinagar's beauty but also thwart its development as an attractive and well-maintained city.

TARDY ENFORCEMENT BY ULB’S

The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) along with other urban centers have time and again acknowledged the persistent issue of illegal hoardings and have expressed its intent to take strict action against violators. To improve the situation, proper maintenance and placement of hoardings throughout the city need to be ensured, and authorities should crack down on those illegally installing hoardings. It is also crucial for the government to enforce anti-defacement laws to discourage individuals from defacing public property. These dilapidated hoardings and illegal installations in Srinagar not only tarnish the city's image but also pose threats to commuters. Adhering to proper maintenance practices, enforcing regulations, and imposing strict penalties for defacement can help rectify the situation.Responsibilities for permitting, regulating, and enforcing hoardings in Srinagar and Jammu lie with the municipal corporations and urban local bodies. Municipal statutes outline the rules for obtaining permission, including the requirement of site plans, approved hoarding designs, and no objection certificates from traffic police. These regulations encompass aspects such as rental charges, permitted sizes, prohibited areas, and penalties for non-compliance. Additionally, separate policy guidelines are implemented in many cities to ensure road safety and maintain aesthetics. However, there are various issues associated with hoardings, such as negative impacts on aesthetics, potential accidents due to improper placement, and obstruction of traffic signals and views. Uncontrolled permission for hoardings can lead to cluttered city streets. To address these concerns, cities should conduct surveys and establish expert committees to advise on location, size, aesthetics, language, luminance, and desirability. Guidelines have also been developed to restrict or disallow hoardings on heritage buildings and open spaces.

PUBLIC OUT-CRY

In many cases, unauthorized hoardings are erected, often by locals or for political functions. These hoardings frequently feature political celebrations and messages.In many cities outside J&K, citizens have taken legal action against such illegal hoardings, resulting in court judgments and directives to remove them. The courts have also instructed authorities to report on the steps taken to tackle the issue. To deter unauthorized hoardings, Bengaluru has implemented a new advertisement policy that includes punishments, even jail terms, for public displays in non-designated areas. Similarly, Delhi's new policy prohibits advertisements promoting nudity, racism, drugs, cruelty to animals, or violence, as well as those in national parks, historical monuments, world heritage areas, and religious places. The Supreme Court has approved this policy and called for its prompt implementation. Municipal administrations must take action against unauthorized hoardings to ensure public safety and maintain cleanliness. Political parties should also address public and court concerns and encourage members to follow proper procedures when erecting hoardings. In response to citizen complaints, municipal authorities have undertaken measures to curb the unauthorized erection of billboards in the city.

Advertisement hoardings in almost all   cities /towns are fervidly used source of outdoor displays that promote brands and engage with the public. These are regulated by urban local bodies (ULBs) through municipal statutes under municipal corporation and municipal council acts 2000. These statutes outline the rules for obtaining permission to erect hoardings, including submitting site plans, design verification, and obtaining no objection certificates. Municipal bodies and advertisers also follow detailed policy guidelines that focus on road safety, aesthetics, and city architecture. Certain cities have specific rules/legislation for hoardings, such as Srinagar and Jammu allowing billboards up to 70 feet in height. However, the uncontrolled erection of hoardings can lead to aesthetic problems, accidents, create eyesore and obstruction of traffic signals. To address these issues, a committee of experts could advise the municipal body on aspects like location, size, aesthetics, and luminance. Cities also face the challenge of unauthorized hoardings, backed by political parties, which can be found in various cities across the J&K. Despite legislation and rules to prevent and remove such illegal hoardings, but the interference and involvement of interested groups complicate and weaken the enforcement. Various judgements have also been passed from time to time by courts to take action against illegal banners, hoardings, posters, and advertisements despite tis regulation of hoarding has remained a poorly managed city affair. In this respect Bengaluru city has framed a new advertisement policy which allows punishment, including jail time, for displaying hoardings in non-designated areas. Similarly, Delhi has imposed a ban on advertisements promoting nudity, racism, drugs, cruelty, or violence in order to prevent distractions for road commuters. The Supreme Court has approved this policy and called for its prompt implementation. It is crucial for municipal administrations and political parties to address the issue of unauthorized hoardings to ensure public safety and maintain the aesthetic appeal of the cities/towns. Therefore, the municipal administration  will have to implement  decisively  legislation and relevant rules  and act against the unauthorized erections that either jeopardize human safety or add clutter to city streets and urban form. Political parties are expected to take cognizance of the public opinion and the courts’ ire and direct their cadres to observe discipline and follow due process before they put up hoardings.

HOARDING LEGISLATION AND POLICIES –J&K

In urban areas of J&K, hoarding and billboards are regulated under sections 115,116, 117,118 and 119 of the ULB Act-2000. However, many places still display advertisements in violation of the Act and byelaws. To address this, the J&K Government introduced an Advertisement Policy in 2010. The policy aims to bring discipline to the display of hoardings and provides specifications on size, height, and placement within cities, as well as restrictions on use. Unfortunately, many of the hoarding sites identified by the ULBs are in restricted areas, violating the provisions set by the city administration itself. The policy emphasizes that hoardings should not cause visual clutter or compromise road safety. It also focuses on preserving the aesthetic character of the area, including architectural features and streetscapes. The policy provides guidelines on size, shape, color, illumination, and content to be displayed on hoardings. It recommends placing advertisements along major roads, commercial areas, and transit terminals, while restricting them near important historical or cultural sites, hospitals, educational institutions, and natural areas.

Despite having legislation and a policy in place, hoardings and billboards still overwhelm the urban landscape in J&K, creating a cluttered appearance. Hoarding are placed on chinars trees, in front  parksand other prohibited areas in Srinagar. The network of electric poles adds to this visual maze, posing safety risks and highlighting infrastructure challenges. Additionally, political slogans, advertisements, and graffiti on building exteriors and boundary walls contribute to visual noise and detract from the city's aesthetic appeal. The indiscriminate use of public surfaces for messaging raises concerns about civic responsibility and urban beautification. These issues should be considered when allowing advertisement hoardings in tourist places to avoid negative impacts on tourism, the economy, and the environment. Another factor contributing to visual clutter is the presence of old and neglected structures with decaying exteriors and worn out paint. These facades not only contribute to visual pollution but also reflect broader issues of urban decay, inadequate maintenance, economic challenges, urban design ,regenerationand planning problems  in  city cores.

NEED FOR RETHINKING

The policy framed for outdoor advertisement no doubt yields significant revenue to the urban local bodies but the it must be driven by the considerations of improving aesthetics, environment, quality of living, social ethics, urban landscape. Though all the hoarding in the city are not hazardous but most these clutter city’s image and act as a potential threat to citizens. These also deplore the tourist appeal of the city, it for these reasons that hoardings as outdoor advertising has to be carefully harnessed without creating visual clutter and interfering with driver’s visual search. In case of a tourist place Kashmir or for that matter Srinagar city authorities are bound to take care of natural beauty and character of the places in line to their natural beauty, heritage to lure and bring increased number of tourists without any conflict and incongruity to environment. It shall also respond to the emerging fast changing global practices with the underline purpose of creating an urban form where manmade artifacts shall not conflict the natural environment and landscape.Generally, development and construction projects which are to implemented have a significant impact on the skylines of urban areas. However, there is often a lack of consideration for the cultural and historical aspects of architecture. Non-compliant advertisement displays also contribute to the defacement of urban spaces. To address these issues, it is essential to improve expertise and ensure compliance to legislation and laws. In the urban areas of Jammu and Kashmir, visual noise is a prevalent problem that goes beyond aesthetics. It reflects broader issues related to urban planning, infrastructure development, and socio-economic dynamics. Solving this problem requires a holistic approach involving regulatory interventions, community engagement, sustainable design practices and consistency to global needs and practices.

To enhance the appeal and livability of cities like Srinagar and Jammu, the focus of the advertisement policy should be on promoting local artists and transforming construction sites into artistic platforms. This initiative requires meticulous attention to detail and adherence to regulations at every stage, from site selection to artwork support and signage installation.

When installing hoardings and billboards, important factors to consider include vegetation removal, road closures, council permits, access equipment, electrical works, site measurements, and recommended materials. Design adjustments may be necessary to maintain the integrity of artworks on sloping terrains or angular hoardings. Strict quality control and compliance with safety regulations and council requirements are crucial during artwork proofing and high-resolution printing. These printing services can be conveniently done locally in Australia, with options for UV stabilization, anti-graffiti coatings, and complimentary cleaning products for easy maintenance.To address complex preference problems and regulate future installations of hoardings/billboards, decision support systems can be utilized. Regulatory bodies, with public participation, can identify areas with high hoarding/billboard density. A spatial decision support system (SDSS) acts as a bridge between stakeholders in urban spaces, helping in detailed inventories, using primary and secondary data to provide actionable information. Government bodies can regulate billboard locations, owners can select optimal sites, and advertisers can choose suitable sites based on characteristics and demographics. By implementing this SDSS, stakeholders can effectively manage and control billboards while maximizing their financial potential within regulatory limitations. This tool can contribute to the overall management of visual pollution in urban centers.

Bottom Line

For effective hoarding management in Srinagar, other urban centers and tourist places would require a multi-faceted approach.A detailed survey regarding where they would allow hoardings and where they would need to be not conducted. Then and thereafter after seeking technical advice of experts municipal bodies may decide the location, size, aesthetics, language, luminance, nature and desirability. This would include raising up of public awareness, providing support services such as counseling and professional organizers, engaging the community through neighborhood watch programs and volunteer groups, enforcing local ordinances, collaborating with professionals, and implementing regular monitoring and follow-up. Beside the policy decision need to be transformed into actionable plans to implement these realistically in congruity with master plan of the city. By implementing these measures, cities can create safer and healthier communities while supporting individuals struggling with hoarding disorder and simultaneously sustain and promote the economic development alongside the sustainability.

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