HYDERABAD: For years, Hyderabad’s peripheral areas — now brought under the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) following the merger of 27 urban local bodies around the Outer Ring Road in Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Sangareddy districts — have witnessed an unchecked proliferation of oversized hoardings, unipoles and unauthorised advertisements.
To address concerns over public safety and visual clutter, GHMC has begun an extensive drive to remove illegal advertising structures across the city. The action covers hoardings, unipoles, bus shelters, arches, lollipops, electrical pole kiosks, obligatory spans and similar installations.
Before the merger, GHMC had banned hoardings above 15 metres and unipoles within its core limits.
However, the absence of such restrictions in the erstwhile municipalities and corporations led to widespread installations, particularly in areas such as Pedda Amberpet, Manikonda, Shamshabad, Kompally and Nizampet. Such structures were minimal in the original GHMC area.
With the merger now complete, all unauthorised hoardings and unipoles in the integrated zones will be dismantled in a phased, sustained manner. GHMC has invited tenders for the removal work, to be completed within one year without disrupting traffic. The selected agency will bear full responsibility for safety, accidents and legal compliance, with strict penalties for non-compliance.