No Puja hoardings before October 3: KMC warns outdoor advertising agencies

Durga Puja hoardings in the city will have to wait until October 3, with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) directing outdoor advertising agencies not to mount advertisements on bamboo frames before that date.

The directive, issued on Wednesday, comes ahead of the city's biggest festive season, when streets, neighbourhoods and arterial roads are typically transformed into a sprawling canvas of Puja advertisements.

For agencies that have already begun putting up advertisements on bamboo frames in September, there is no fee exemption.

KMC has made it clear that such agencies will have to pay advertisement fees according to the civic body's existing rates.

The exemption announced by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will apply only to advertisements put up next month, agencies were told.

The distinction is particularly significant for Kolkata's outdoor advertising industry, with sources pegging the city's Puja advertisement business at nearly Rs 150 crore.

An outdoor advertising agency owner said the exemption would apply only to flex advertisements installed in October.

LED advertisements, however, would continue to attract fees even if they are installed next month.

‘We were told only flexes will be exempt from paying fees if they are put up next month. LED advertisements will not be exempt of paying fees, even if they are put up in Oct,’ the owner said.

The civic directive also puts a ceiling on the size of the advertisements. Agencies have been told that the height of the hoardings cannot exceed 22 feet.

The agencies have further been instructed to remove the advertisements within a week of Dashami, effectively putting a time limit on how long the festive displays can remain in place after the Puja celebrations conclude.

With the Puja advertising market running into nearly Rs 150 crore, the October 3 cut-off is likely to shape how agencies plan their campaigns and installations in the weeks ahead.

For advertisers and agencies, the timing of installation now directly determines whether they will have to pay KMC advertisement fees.

For Kolkata, where Puja advertising has become an unmistakable part of the festive landscape, the directive draws a clear line between early installations and those put up during the officially exempt period.