PANAJI
The Goa Legislative Assembly on Wednesday referred ‘The Goa Outdoor Advertisement (Regulations & Control) Bill, 2025’ to a Select Committee after concerns were raised about the rise in illegal hoardings.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the House that Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte would chair the committee, with MLAs Carlo Ferreira, Nilesh Cabral, Jit Arolkar, and Vijai Sardesai as members.
Earlier in the day, CM Sawant introduced the Bill, proposing that the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) be designated as the authority to regulate and control outdoor advertisements across the State.
The government plans to introduce a GIS-based Outdoor Advertisement Device Master Plan and geo-tag all outdoor advertisement devices mentioned in the Bill.
The Bill includes strict penalties, with a fine of Rs 1 lakh for displaying advertisements without registration or permission. Offenders would have 30 days after paying the fine to apply for registration. During this period, they would be charged Rs 1,000 per day as penalty interest, increasing to Rs 2,000 per day after the 30-day period.
With the High Court taking suo motu cognisance of the issue, the government has proposed a ban on outdoor advertisements in No Development Zones (NDZs), protected areas, Khazan land, wetlands, and other ecologically and archaeologically sensitive locations.
The Bill states that outdoor advertisement devices cannot be placed on sloping or non-developable land with a gradient of more than 25 per cent, protected forest land, wildlife sanctuaries, wetlands, Khazan lands, CRZ areas, protected monuments, World Heritage Sites, cremation grounds, graveyards, and open spaces.
Currently, various laws regulate outdoor advertisements, with multiple authorities responsible for granting permissions and ensuring compliance. “To unify all legal provisions related to outdoor advertisements and streamline the permission process, this Bill has been introduced,” the government said.
The Bill also proposes the creation of the Goa Advertisement Regulatory Committee under the Director of the Department of Information and Publicity. This committee will provide recommendations to the government on advertisements, outdoor advertisement devices, and displays.
“Anyone intending to put up an outdoor advertisement device must apply for registration with the Competent Authority (ESG). Those who have already installed such devices or are displaying advertisements without using a registered device must apply for registration within six months of this Bill coming into effect,” it states.
The registration will be valid for five years for local authorities and government departments and three years for others unless cancelled by the Competent Authority. It will be automatically renewed upon payment of fees.
