Gauhati HC pulls up Assam govt over delay in outdoor ad policy, seeks report
The petitioner argued that the city lacked a structured policy to govern outdoor advertising.
Guwahati City
Guwahati, June 29: The Gauhati High Court has directed the Assam Government to submit a status report on the long-delayed final notification of the Guwahati Outdoor Advertisement Policy Guidelines, 2017.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Lanusungkum Jamir and Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak recently issued the directive while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that alleged the government had failed to formally notify the final version of the advertisement policy, despite the passage of several years.
“The learned Additional Advocate General, Assam shall file a status report with regard to the modified version of the Guwahati Outdoor Advertisement Policy Guidelines, 2017,” the court was quoted as saying by a legal news portal.
The case stems from a PIL filed in 2016, raising concerns over the unregulated placement of hoardings and billboards along roads and traffic dividers across Guwahati.
The petitioner argued that the city lacked a structured policy to govern outdoor advertising, alleging the absence of clear guidelines for the placement of hoardings and billboards in the city.
In response, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) published a draft version of the policy in 2017, inviting public objections and suggestions.
During the proceedings, the Senior Additional Advocate General informed the court that no objections were received regarding the draft.
Subsequently, on May 7, 2018, the High Court disposed of the original PIL, directing the GMC to forward the draft policy to the state government for final approval and asking that the notification be issued within six weeks.
However, more than seven years later, the policy remains unnotified—prompting the filing of a fresh PIL questioning the delay.
The petitioner has alleged that the government’s inaction reflects administrative apathy and undermines the court’s earlier order.
The High Court has now sought a detailed status report from the government, reviving judicial scrutiny over the issue of unregulated outdoor advertising in Guwahati.