BENGALURU: Members of the Outdoor Advertising Association, Bengaluru, gathered at Town Hall on Thursday to protest against the blanket ban on hoardings and flexes in Bengaluru. The association, which is represented by various media outlet owners, agency employees, painters, electricians and various others involved in the outdoor advertising agency, have also submitted a memorandum regarding the issue to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.
Association president S M Javad, said, “The advertisement bylaw 2006 is comprehensive. However, the now proposed BBMP Outdoor Signage and Public Messaging Bylaw 2018 is incomplete and not suitable for Bengaluru. The industry wants to continue with the existing 2006 bylaw with the addition of advertisement tax, which was subsumed after GST. We want the government to allow legal hoardings in the city, thus saving lakhs of people in the industry from being unemployed.”
The organisation will proceed with an indefinite strike if their suggestions to the regulation are not considered in 10 days. More than one lakh people are involved in the industry in the city. In their memorandum, the association has also asked to be allowed to display hoardings by using PVC-free, recyclable and reusable fabric material instead of flex, which is banned.