NEW DELHI: Hazratganj, the 'Park Avenue' of Lucknow that houses shopping complexes, restaurants, hotels, theaters, offices and businesses, is in the eye of a storm with leading outdoor firms operating in the area preparing to fight out the ban on hoardings imposed by the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA).
The civic body had recently declared that it would turn the 'heart of the city' into a no-billboard-zone, to the chagrin of the outdoor players, who have since collectively filed a petition against the LDA decision seeking a stay. Leading players Selvel Media, Jagran Engage, India Outdoor Advertising, Origins Advertising, Synergy Advertising and Shobha Publicity have taken up the cudgels on behalf of the outdoor industry, and hold the view that the LDA move is largely unwarranted and will hurt the business interest of an industry that operates legal media in the area. Besides, they have been paying high taxes for the outdoor properties in the area given its prime location.
 The LDA meantime is pressing ahead with its decision whereby the outdoor firms are required to remove their hoardings in the Hazratganj area by the end of the day - July 28. The overriding objective behind the move is to restore the beauty of the place that has a rich historical past. Plans are afoot to put up iron wrought pillars for street lighting in a 1-km stretch in the area in a bid to bring back the colonial look. And, to declutter the zone, the LDA has also mandated that all shops in the area will have only single signboards each.
 Commenting on the LDA move, Uday Ganguly, senior general manager, Selvel Media Services, told network2media that the ban on hoardings in the Hazratganj area is uncalled for. "If renovation is the prime objective of the authority, then the outdoor industry should not be singled out. Unfortunately, every time the authority takes some such decision, the outdoor players are made to pay a price, which is not fair," he said, while adding that regularisation as such would be welcome, but not in the manner in which it is being done. Selvel Media has one prime hoarding in the Hazratganj area which it would want to protect at all cost.
The outdoor firms are of the view that the authority should look to work with the industry in executing the city beautification plans and that they would themselves offer every support for the initiatives. Hoardings are part of every city, they say in unison, taking the example of New York's Times Square and London's Piccadilly Circus.
 Opposing the total ban, Tanmay Tiwari, general manager, Jagran Engage, said the authority should instead focus on regularisation of media in the area. "Historical buildings need to be protected, like we see in Mumbai. The ban is intended as a corrective step because of the kind of wall wraps that are killing the beauty of the place. But, the ban is not a solution. Regularisation of media in the form of good street furniture and unipoles would be the right way forward." Jagran Engage has an inventory of 30-35 hoardings in Lucknow, apart from the advertising rights at the Chaarbagh railway station. In a similar vein, Rakesh Valmiki, managing partner, India Outdoor Advertising, told network2media that while the issue will now be settled in court, from an outdoor business perspective "there is no alternative to Hazratganj. Every client asks for this location. It will severely affect the outdoor business in the city."
 There is apparently no clarity on the nature of the ban, as yet. Rajneesh Rawat, managing director, Origins Advertising, said, "It's not clear what kind of ban will be imposed as there are no proper guidelines available as yet. We are keeping our fingers crossed. A blanket ban is not a solution. A restrictive solution is perhaps the way forward."
The outdoor players also contend that the Hazratganj area is not the same as it was 50 years ago. Many new buildings have come up while the old buildings do not look the same. While the LDA would want to keep the facades of the buildings unobstructed, the facades have lost their beauty over the years. The buildings need to be restored first, for which the shop owners will have to down the shutters. In this situation, the outdoor players question why they alone are being targeted in the beautification drive. On the contrary, hoardings would lend aesthetic value to the landscape if well regulated, they maintain.
 For players like Vivek Bhattacharyya, managing partner, Synergy Advertising, the LDA ban would be a body blow. "Hazratganj comprises 20 percent of my business. It the most desired location for any client. It is for Lucknow what Marine Drives is for Mumbai. It's my bread and butter; I will fight till we prove our point," he said.
The ground realities suggest the outdoor players are going to fight out the ban on the plank of reason, equity and plain business sense. network2media will keep you abreast of the developments on this front.
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