Holistic hoarding policies needed for SMEs

BY CAPTAIN MAHMOOD AL MAHMOOD

The personality of a city is often seen in its public media –w the advertisements and “public space events” it makes room for.

Often photographs in newspapers contrast the giant hoarding for a luxury brand with silhouettes of the struggling citizen, portraying the ground reality of how that city’s homeless are being treated.

Or else, as happens even in our Bahrain during elections, the vibrant democratic political culture is emphasized with candidate hoardings and political messages. (Sometimes, we get to see the ugly underbelly of the community also, when hoardings are vandalized!)

In May 2024, a dust storm brought down a giant illegal hoarding in a Mumbai suburb, killing 17 persons and injuring 70.

That was an eye-opening disaster because even in Bahrain, although we do not have such huge illegal structures – this was apparently a 250 tonnes structure – we do see hoarding crashes during heavy winds . Particularly vulnerable are the lamp-post hoardings which are not as secure.

Now , Bahrain’s Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture has introduced a new decree that puts people’s safety first and specifies the requirements , standards, and procedures for street advertisements.

Any street-side advert that poses a risk to life or property shall be removed at the cost of the advertiser. By the same token, I would like the authorities to take a holistic approach to supporting SMEs in Bahrain and loosen their grip when it comes to outdoor advertising on restricted property such as the business’s own property windows and walls and cars and commercial vehicles.

Just like a recent plea to rationalize fines for SMEs so that they face less harsh slaps for Bahrainisation violations, the government would do well to allow SMEs to advertise their business on their own property, movable and immovable, without municipal costs. This will help SMEs to boost awareness of their business and make headway towards success.