‘Current regulations for outdoor advertising are ancient’

In an interview with Linah Baliga, managing director of Roshan Space Brandcom (P) Ltd Junaid Shaikh shared his perspective on the ongoing billboard controversy and the conflict between the BMC and other agencies in the aftermath of the Ghatkopar billboard collapse that killed 17 and left more than 75 injured

MUMBAI: Despite notices by the BMC to take down billboards that exceed the mandated size of 40x40 feet, 29 of these hoardings continue to dot the cityscape. One of these in Bandra East, measuring 120x120 feet, belongs to Roshan Space Brandcom (P) Ltd. The agency, which operates in Mumbai’s Out Of Home (OOH) and Digital Out Of Home (DOOH) industry, has a few more humongous billboards in other locations.

‘Current regulations for outdoor advertising are ancient’

In an interview with Linah Baliga, managing director Junaid Shaikh shared his perspective on the ongoing billboard controversy and the conflict between the BMC and other agencies in the aftermath of the Ghatkopar billboard collapse that killed 17 and left more than 75 injured.

Q: Has Roshan Space conducted a structural stability audit of the large billboards, especially the one in Bandra East, to ensure that they are safe?

A: The structural audit from IIT Bombay is a standard protocol demanded by the railways but we have surpassed their specifications. We conducted tests to ascertain the soil-bearing capacity for the foundation and drove in RCC piles up to 22 metres. There are a total of 11 foundations, each one with six piles, so in all we have 66 piles supporting the structure. The steel structure was analysed, and a tubular structure was executed totalling 700 tonnes. Typically, a billboard structure has to resist wind force; in this case, we have taken into account a wind force of 158.4 km per hour. Our structure is designed for a lifespan of 25 years, with the highest safety standards and is equipped with the latest technology.

Q: What is your take on the BMC-Government Railway Police (GRP)/Railways tussle concerning the issue of permits to erect billboards?

A: In the aftermath of the Ghatkopar billboard tragedy, media outlets have been reporting that all railway hoardings are illegal and the BMC has sent notices to take them all down. The Ghatkopar billboard that collapsed was not on railway land. It is on state government land in the name of the Maharashtra Police Housing Welfare Corporation. The GRP works under the state government, not the railways.

I would say that railway hoardings are legal and follow all safety norms. In fact, the railway approval system is quite robust and safe.

Q: What procedures do you follow while erecting billboards above the BMC’s permissible limit of 40x40ft?

A: The issue here is not the billboard size but the engineering standards followed. A bigger billboard structure has bigger forces to reckon with, so the RCC foundation and matrix of the steel structure are arrived at accordingly.

Irrespective of the size, the methodology of design analysis remains the same. Our agency strictly adheres to the engineering specifications laid down and it is imperative that all stakeholders in the OOH sector do the same.

Q: What is the cost of a 120x120ft billboard in Bandra East?

A: The question is not applicable.

Q: The BMC is drafting a new policy that will make it necessary for agencies to take permission from it for all hoardings even on railways and GRP land.

A: Be it the BMC or any other agency, policy makers need to look at OOH as part of civic planning and not merely as an advertising space. The current regulations for outdoor advertising are ancient and need to be relooked at from a modern lens.

Compare our OOH environment with that of Dubai, New York’s Times Square and London’s Piccadilly Circus. It is not the size that needs to be relooked at but rather the engineering aesthetics and technology which need to be on par with global standards. If we compare the OOH industry to the real estate industry, new age high-rises can withstand storms, earthquakes and hurricanes because they have raised the bar of engineering and technology. Those similar standards need to be adhered to in OOH policies as well.

Also, OOH is a part of the beautification and smart city programme, and must complement the cityscape. Regulators also need to pay attention to ways of decluttering OOH. The previous policy had a minimum-distance criterion of 100 metres between two billboards. The new BMC policy has reduced it to 70 metres, thus encouraging more clutter.

Q: What precautions should stakeholders take to prevent tragedies like the Ghatkopar billboard collapse?

A: The traditional mindset of quick fixes, leading to commoditisation, must change. Eighty-five percent of the old structures of billboards in the city may fail the structural audit test. All those billboards either need to be restructured or done away with. Maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality and audit is imperative. Tenders and bids floated by the authorities should be evaluated on the basis of quality and design standards, and not given to those who bid the highest.

To reduce the cost, some media owners do not maintain structural integrity. That must change. Media buyers and marketers’ endeavour is always to buy the cheapest media. Marketers need to support and help us in bringing down illegalities and sub-optimal structures.

Lastly, there needs to be an entry barrier. Today, anybody can get permissions for OOH media. Those with no prior experience or those who have strong political connections can get projects without the tender process or by manipulating the policies. Those individuals who have no skin in the game can get permissions, construct billboards at bare minimum cost and rent them out directly to ad agencies or brands and recover their cost in three months, while others who have been in the business and have high stakes have to compete with these irregularities.

Q: Should oversized hoardings above 40x40ft be permissible in Mumbai?

A: The word ‘oversized’ itself has no place here. What is oversized? It is an undermining presumption that engineering, technology and aesthetics cannot be achieved. Is that how low we are setting the bar? It’s like saying that we cannot have Burj Khalifa in our city because it may fall for certain reasons. Can we say the same about the real estate industry?

The Statue of Unity, the Eiffel Tower and Burj Khalifa are all iconic. Can we imagine these cities without their monuments? OOH media in the city and the transit media too have become an eyesore and transactional. We need to ensure that the OOH landscape adds to the cityscape much like monuments add to the city’s experience.