AMC halts proposal to hire consultant for new outdoor advertising policy

The Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has put on hold a proposal to appoint a private consultant and pay ₹39.60 lakh for preparing a draft of the proposed Ahmedabad Outdoor Advertising Policy 2.0.

Officials of the AMC’s estate department had earlier approved a draft proposal seeking permission to engage a consultant to amend the existing outdoor advertising policy and frame a revised version.

However, the proposal was halted at the Standing Committee level, with members questioning the need to hire an external consultant when the corporation already has an outdoor advertising policy in place.

Standing Committee chairman Devang Dani has reportedly directed officials to make a detailed presentation before the committee, explaining the rationale for outsourcing the drafting work and the justification for the proposed expenditure.

The civic body is in the process of preparing a new Outdoor Advertising Policy 2.0 in view of the proposed hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and the Olympic Games in 2036. 

The stated objective of the revised policy is to enhance the city’s aesthetic appeal and curb visual clutter caused by outdoor advertising hoardings. The proposal, however, has not yet received approval from the Standing Committee.

Earlier, the Standing Committee had approved the Ahmedabad Outdoor Advertising Policy–2023 at its meeting on December 7, 2023, suggesting six key amendments. Among these, the committee approved an increase in the size of pole kiosks and removed the three-metre rule applicable to them.

The committee also deleted the requirement of “written permission” from the policy and removed the time limit for digital advertising. The revised draft was subsequently approved by the AMC board on December 22, 2023.