Taking a strong stand against the illegal hoardings that are a scourge in urban areas of the state, the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Monday passed the Karnataka Municipalities Act and an Act (Amendment) that seeks to make it mandatory for all hoardings, including those located on private land, to obtain prior permission by paying the required fee to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
While piloting the bill, Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh announced that criminal cases would be filed against those violating the norms. The bill seeks to create a provision for advertisements at par with the provisions of the Greater Bengaluru Administration Act, the minister noted.
The minister expressed concern that the ULBs were losing revenue of over ₹100 crore as those who were displaying the piles were not paying any taxes to them, citing various technicalities.
Once the bill becomes law in this regard, putting up any billboards including flexi without permission would be punishable with penalties, he explained.
According to him, different ULBs would have different accumulation fee structure. However, the revenues from these areas would be passed on to them.
The minister said hoarding across ULBs will be mapped using drone survey. He noted that there will be a separate fee structure for LED panels.
Responding to concerns over the use of plastic banners and placards, the minister made it clear that no plastic placards or placards would be allowed in any of the ULBs.
The assembly also passed the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act, which seeks to include grounds such as misconduct and dereliction of duty as grounds that could stand in the way of ensuring a minimum tenure of two years for police officers.
Published – 16 March 2026 21:18 IST
