Billboards hurriedly removed in South, Central districts

After the Pakistan Meteorological Department withdrew its cyclone warning, the district administrations sprang into action in the early hours of Friday to remove hazardous billboards and hoardings in the city.

The District Municipal Corporation (DMC) South and DMC Central administrations removed billboards from several buildings in their jurisdictions. However, no apparent billboard removal was observed in District East.

On the directions of DMC South Administrator Dr Afshan Rabad, billboards were removed in various areas of the district, according to a statement issued by the corporation. The DMC South’s advertisement department removed hazardous billboards from the Icon Tower in Clifton, Schon Circle, Hyperstar, Clifton Underpass, Boat Basin, Shaheen Complex, Mobile Market Saddar and as many as nine hazardous iron structures of advertisement surrounding II Chundrigar Road. Apart from this weak signboards, shop boards and panaflex boards were also removed.

Central Deputy Commissioner Taha Saleem wrote a letter to the DMC Central for removal of illegal and hazardous billboards and signboards due to the expected torrential rain and thunderstorm. He issued directions for immediate removal of such hoardings and billboards within the jurisdiction of District Central that could harm human beings, and public and private properties.

Talking to The News, DMC Central Administrator Syed Muhammad Ali Zaidi explained that as many as three billboards were removed from Sher Shah Suri Road and Shahrah-e-Pakistan and advertisers had also been told to take down their hazardous structures.

No apparent action was taken against billboards in District East where the two major landowning agencies are the DMC East and Cantonment Board Faisal.

When DMC East Administrator Shoaib Malik was asked about the removal of billboards, he messaged that several billboards had been removed and letters issued to the advertisers. However, when he was asked to mention the locations where billboards had been removed in District East, he did not respond till the filing of this story. The DMC East’s advertisement director, Raja Buzdar, also did not respond to multiple phone calls.

Karachi Commissioner Navid Shaikh had on Thursday issued an administrative order regarding the removal of hazardous billboards and hoardings throughout the city. In that order, he directed all the deputy commissioners of the Karachi division to immediately undertake a comprehensive survey through qualified engineers within their respective jurisdictions of all the billboards and hoardings installed alongside main roads, on the faces and roofs of high-rise buildings and or elsewhere.

“The deputy commissioners are liable to get any billboards or hoardings thus found dangerous immediately removed in order to avoid any loss of precious human life or damage to public or private property, and furnish reports to this office,” the commissioner directed.

Convocation postponed

The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) announcement postponement of its convocation scheduled for today (Saturday) because of the heavy rain forecast in the city due to the cyclone, which fortunately did not arrive in the city, adds our correspondent.

The varsity could also not hold its annual convocation last year due to the global pandemic.