Daily Times

KARACHI: Despite a ban on roadside advertisements until appropriate by-laws are formed for the purpose, the activity continues across the city in all six districts as well as cantonment boards.

Purpose-built walls running advertisements of different products can be seen at major roads and near prominent buildings like near Bilawal House, on Chowrangi, Clifton Bridge, FTC Flyover, along Shahrah-e-Faisal, at Civic Centre, Frere Town and Clifton area.

Some two years back, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had banned billboards and advertisements painted on walls along roads as well as on facades of buildings. All civic bodies concerned were directed to not use buildings facades and walls along major roads for commercial advertising. The court also directed civic bodies concerned to prepare appropriate by-laws keeping in mind safety of road users as well as public property.

Daily Times’ interview with the representative of the Outdoor Advertising Association, the body of advertisers asked by the court to share its input on by-laws with civic bodies, suggests that out of six district municipal corporations, just two – South and East – have approved draft by-laws, but they have done that without inviting any input from the public at large. None of the remaining DMC – Central, Malir, West and Korangi – has yet approved by-laws. Cantonment boards too are proceeding with old by-laws, in violation of the SC directive.

Secretary Fareed Ahmad said that only Districts South and East had taken approval for the by-laws shared with him by the association from their respective councils. However, he said, they had not taken any input from the public on the matter.

All six cantonments boards are using the same old version of by-laws, he said.

All these entities are letting advertisers user public space under by-laws that do not provide for adequate safety of road users and public property.

In a related development, Karachi mayor Waseem Akhtar has written a letter to the Supreme Court, requesting for directives transferring the matter from district corporations to the metropolitan corporation.

Sindh Chief Minister has also taken notice of the issue and directed civil bodies to take action against advertisers using public space in violation of the SC directive. In December 2017, the CM had asked the authorities concerned to submit a report on the matter in a week. No such report has yet been submitted. Only at three places, action was taken by civic administration where walls built just for advertisements were razed to the ground.

When contacted, Shafiud Din, the deputy secretary at the CM Secretariat, said all such commercial advertisements on purpose built walls was illegal and in violation of court directives. He said the CM House was concerned over the issue and would take it up with the civic bodies.

Daily Times tried contacting DMCs South and East but their chairpersons were not available for comment. Dr Sajjad Ali Shah, the chief executive officer of the Clifton Cantonment Board, was also not available.

Published in Daily Times, February  14^th 2018.