NEWS: The state government(Karnataka) on Tuesday notified the Greater Bengaluru Area (Advertisement) Rules, 2025, empowering the city’s five municipal corporations to auction advertising rights

HIGHLIGHTS

• Lifts an eight-year ban on outdoor advertisements
• “Legacy” advertisers — those with valid permissions under the BBMP Advertisement Byelaws, 2006 — by granting a one-time opportunity for regularisation for a fixed period.
• The government has scrapped the requirement for advertisers to make an upfront payment for five months after securing ad rights. Instead, advertisers must now submit a surety bond from a general insurance company.
• The rules also permit advertisement hoardings on footpaths, subject to approval by the city corporation
• Commercial advertisements are prohibited on roads narrower than 18 metres, though this restriction is relaxed in streets notified as commercial or industrial zones.
• Allotted roads, circles and areas must be awarded only through open auction or tender
• Advertisements on metro pillars, stations and viaducts have been excluded from city corporation tenders.