Mumbai’s municipal corporation said it had taken down 52,448 unauthorised banners, flex boards and posters between 1 January and 16 October. The Hindu reported the figure on 18 October, after Saturday’s internal meeting. The Times of India published the same numbers a day earlier. This is a campaign tally, not a new law.

Between 8 and 16 October a special drive seized 3,537 items, including flags. The licensing department filed complaints that produced four first-information reports. Another 333 complaints went to police. Who put the material up remains, in these figures, a list of cases, not a mass conviction.

Municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide said action against unlicensed advertising would run through the year, not only in the festival season. Mayor Ritu Tawde asked parties and elected members for help and spoke of a “Flex-Free Mumbai 365 Days” campaign. Officials were told to pull displays promptly after citizen complaints.

The corporation is considering mandatory QR codes on authorised hoardings so legal boards can be checked quickly. Bhide also asked for action against printers and agencies that produce ads without permits. The QR idea is not in force until it is adopted.

Maharashtra’s 1995 law on defacement of property allows, for unauthorised public displays, up to three months in prison or a fine, as the case may be. That is the existing frame, not a penalty already applied to the 52,448 items.

Mumbai is still a city where electoral and commercial ads stick easily to poles. The tally says how much was taken down, not that the street is clear.

Image: Dr. Raju Kasambe, BMC headquarters, Mumbai, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; the civic building, not an October 2026 banner removal.

Sources consulted: BMC removes over 52,000 unauthorised banners, posters in Mumbai since January - The Hindu; BMC removed 52,000+ illegal banners, posters in Mumbai till Oct 2026 - Times of India.