Govt asks KMC to remove illegal billboards

Karachi
Sindh Ombudsman Asad Ashraf Malik has directed the administrator of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to remove all commercial billboards from alongside roads since they had been erected without proper authorisation.
He also ordered the Sindh chief secretary to initiate departmental proceedings against directors and deputy directors of the local KMC’s tax department for illegal allotment of advertisement sites and misappropriation of more than Rs20 million.
According to a statement issued by the ombudsman office, an inquiry was conducted into the matter after a complaint was submitted by the president of Sindh Outdoor Advertisement Association. It was found in the inquiry that irregularities and violations of bye-laws had occurred on part of the director of local taxes department and his subordinates in allotting of advertisement space.
The inquiry also revealed that permissions had been granted for installation of billboards on locations where they could cause serious traffic hazards, in violation of the Road Safety Act. It also revealed that permissions were also granted to build U-turns on centre belts in violation of bye-laws. Similarly, the KMC’s advertisement department had also illegally allowed one hazardous billboard of size 30x90 to be erected on the rooftop of a building in Clifton without payment of government taxes.
Moreover, a number of billboards were also erected without proper paperwork or payment of taxes.
The provincial ombudsman also directed the chairman of Anti-Corruption Establishment to conduct a detailed inquiry into the misappropriation of funds.