Neons, glow signs to light up skyline

Neons, glow signs to light up skyline
BCC’s Proposed Advertising Bye-Laws To Reflect Changed Ad Mores
The Times of India

Bangalore: There could well be a Times Square in namma Bengalooru. A huge display screen glittering down with an array of advertisements or announcements. Made possible because the antiquated advertising byelaws of 1956 are set to be replaced with new advertising bye-laws.

The newly framed bye-laws — which have taken into account the city demographics, topography, advertising trends — are pending before the Bangalore City Corporation’s (BCC) town planning committee and the government thereafter, for approval. If the bye-laws of yore were not even cognizant of neon and glow signs, LED (light emitting diode) boards, gantries and back-lit hoardings, the new byelaws make ample provision for them, listing their type, size and maintenance restrictions.

Says a BCC official on the need for revising the byelaws: “Advertising practices have changed post ’94 — that’s when the economy got liberalised and companies started spending heavily on advertisements. Even BCC’s revenue from advertisements have escalated from Rs 3 crore in 2002 to Rs 12.5 crore now. These byelaws reflect the advertising mores.’’ Apparently, some advertisers have already evinced interest in digital displays a la New York.

The new bye-laws, in attempting to be contemporary and scale up Bangalore’s aspirations of arriving on the global map, further categorises hoardings into inflatable displays, neon hoardings, trivision ads, phone kiosks, ads on public conveniences, scroller displays et al. There are demarcated zones labelled A, B, C, D, with restricted heights of hoardings; zone D might become the advertiser’s delight with no height restrictions on hoardings.

City roads — commercial, industrial, residential — have been delineated under the zones. Zone A has 10 roads including Raj Bhavan Road, Nrupathunga Road, Palace Road, zone B has 11 roads like Sheshadri Road, Commercial Street, Queens Road, zone C has 71 roads including R.T. Nagar main road, Sampige Road, Margosa Road, zone D has the highest number of roads at 74.

A possible anachronism in the regulations and provisions takes the form of bye-law VIII which reads — “Carrying of advertisement on animals, animal drawn vehicles/carriages or using live animals to advertise in the city is prohibited.’’ Simultaneously, the BCC has also had a regulation billed Race Horse Tax, which is tax collected by the BCC on the advertisements of all race horses participating in a horse race at the Bangalore Turf Club. Another norm clarifies that The Bangalore Turf Club shall be treated as a government agency and will not be required to enrol as a commercial advertiser.
City roads — commercial, industrial, residential — have been delineated under the zones. Zone A has 10 roads including Raj Bhavan Road, Nrupathunga Road, Palace Road. Zone B has 11 roads like Sheshadri Road, Commercial Street, Queens Road. Zone C has 71 roads including R.T. Nagar main road, Sampige Road, Margosa Road. Zone D has the highest number of roads at 74.