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Mumbai Removes 40,172 Illegal Ads, Mostly Political and Religious
Mumbai’s civic body removed more than 40,000 advertisements that had not been properly authorised.
The removals happened between January and September 2026.
Most of the advertisements were political or religious publicity.
Banners were the most common type of material removed.
The city also took down hoardings, posters and flags.
February had the highest number of removals in a month.
The civic body says it is targeting ads left up after permission expired, as well as displays put up without approval.
New rules require written permission for advertisements.
Breaking the rules can lead to a fine or imprisonment.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation removed 40,172 unauthorised advertisements across Mumbai from January to September 2026.
Political publicity accounted for 19,409 removals, religious publicity for 14,133 and commercial advertising for 6,630.
The removed materials included 28,352 banners, 8,458 hoardings, 2,058 posters and 998 flags.
The civic drive recorded 176 cases and 277 complaints to police, but formal police complaints were registered in only two cases.
February had the most removals, at 6,145; September’s total was 3,882.
- Who
- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Licence Department removed the advertisements.
- What
- It removed 40,172 unauthorised publicity materials, most of them political or religious.
- Where
- Mumbai.
- When
- January to September 2026; the figures were reported on October 7, 2026.
- Why
- The drive targeted unauthorised advertisements and publicity left on display after permissions expired.
Key facts
- Total removed
- 40,172 advertisements and publicity materials
- Political publicity
- 19,409 removals
- Religious publicity
- 14,133 removals
- Commercial advertising
- 6,630 removals
- Most-removed material
- 28,352 banners
- Peak month
- February, with 6,145 removals
- Police action
- 277 complaints lodged with police; formal complaints registered in two cases
- Stated penalties
- Up to three months’ imprisonment or a Rs 2,000 fine
Quotes
A civic official
An unnamed official of Mumbai’s civic body, the BMC.
“The drive targets festive publicity that remained on display even after permissions expired, along with unauthorised banners, hoardings, temporary entry gates, posters and flags erected without civic approval.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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