Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The city managers have decided to put a ban on the outdoor advertisements of illegal real-estate projects within the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to protect the citizens from their fraudulent campaigns.

As per details, the Member Planning and Design, Asad Mehboob Kiani, has directed the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA), to stop ongoing advertisement campaigns of illegal housing societies, residential and commercial projects displayed within the limits of the federal capital on prompt basis adding that such campaigns would not be allowed in the future as well without checking the status of real estate projects.

DMA is the concerned department within the civic body to issue NOCs to any outdoor campaign such as to hold stringers and banners on main roads whereas it also auctions places for the instalment of permanent billboards to third parties in Islamabad.

But from now onwards there will be no outdoor campaign of illegal real estate projects that would be allowed either on billboards or in the shape of stringers and banners.

The federal capital, which is otherwise considered to be one of the most planned cities of the world, has around 105 illegal housing schemes.

A couple of months ago, the CDA informed a senate standing committee that 105 illegal housing schemes were operating in Islamabad.

Documents handed over to the members of the committee showed that there were 16 illegal housing societies in Zone II, III and Sector E-11. In Zone IV, there were 60 illegal housing societies while 29 illegal housing societies were operating in Zone V.

The decision to stop outdoor campaigns for promotional and marketing purposes of illegal real estate projects is to stop the citizens from making any booking/purchase of plots in un-authorised and illegal real estate projects.

An advertisement in this regard will also be published in newspapers to convey the decision to private licence holders of billboards to stop their ongoing campaigns and to restrict them for the future. When contacted, Mr. Kiani said: “It is quite an odd thing that the owners of illegal housing schemes are violating the civic laws, but at the same time they are using the facility of outdoor campaigns under our jurisdiction.”

“We have decided to stop such outdoor advertisement on our billboards in the first stage and soon we will also write to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) to stop the publishing and broadcasting of such misleading material in the print and the electronic media.”

Operation: On the directions of the Mayor of Islamabad and the Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA), Sheikh Ansar Aziz, the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) is continuing its campaign against food handlers engaged in poor food practices. Specially constituted teams of the Health Services Directorate of the Authority are raiding the entire city to ensure provision of quality edible items as per required health standards.

During the last two weeks, these teams have challaned 67 people and issued 57 notices to the violators of hygiene sections of the PPF Ordinance 1960.

Moreover, 45 litres expired and substandard soft drinks and 50 litres of non-branded, unhygienic and substandard cooking oil was also confiscated and destroyed there and then.

Sheikh Ansar Aziz has directed the Directorate of Health Services to continue operation against sub-standard and adulterated food sellers. He has further directed to ensure the implementation of relevant rules and strict action against sub-standards, unhygienic and adulterated food sellers. He has further directed to submit a daily progress report in this regard.