KARACHI: On the orders of Commissioner and Administrator Karachi Iftikhar Shalawani, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) anti-encroachment officers have started pulling down billboards, hoardings, banners and streamers across the metropolis.
According to details, Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shalawani yesterday issued orders to immediately start the process of removal of encroachments, billboards, banners and streamers across the city.
The Karachi Metropolitan Municipality has immediately canceled the allotment orders of all the intersections. Iftikhar Shalawani said that cancellation of allotment order of all intersections across the city would also apply to all district municipal corporations.
He said that advertisements at all the intersections would be auctioned on an annual basis at the current commercial and advertising rates.
All District Municipal Corporations will not issue any challan regarding billboards in the future. Commercial companies and advertise companies should their billboards in accordance with the rules, he added.
Shalawani said that the appearance of the city has deteriorated due to the encroachment of advertisements and promotional materials of various agencies.
“All types of billboard challans are banned immediately. After today, if any officer issues a challan related to the billboard, strict legal action will be taken against him, he added.
Earlier, the Supreme Court (SC) had ordered the removal of all advertising billboards from all over the port city.
An apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, heard a case pertaining to the illegal installation of billboards on public and private properties as well as roads across the metropolis.
The hearing comes days after a video clip went viral showing two motorcyclists hit and injured by a billboard during heavy rainfall in the city. Taking notice of the incident, Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Ali Shalwani had ordered the immediate removal of billboards.
During Monday’s hearing, the CJP took the commissioner to task over the mushrooming of billboards across the city. Billboards have been put up everywhere in the city, he remarked. “See buildings on Shahrah-e-Faisal, there are unending advertisements,” he said, wondering how people will be living in these buildings.
