SHC serves notices to Karachi Mayor, others over billboards in South

KARACHI: Sindh High Court’s constitutional bench served notices to Mayor and Commissioner Karachi, TMC Saddar and others over a petition against billboards and signboards at public places in city’s District South.

SHC constitutional bench summoned written reply from the parties by August 20.

The court rejected a verbal plea for issuing restraining order to prevent installation of billboards.

Petitioner’s lawyer argued that the boards being installed rapidly and the work would have been completed by the next date of the case.

“The case will be considered after getting reply from the parties,” court said.

Petitioner’s lawyer said that the billboards being installed at Metropole, Shara-e-Faisal and other sites adding that the public places, footpaths and green belts are for the convenience of citizens. “Installation of advertisement billboards at public places is like encroachment and business use of these places,” lawyer argued.

“The supreme court had restrained installation of billboards and hoardings at places in an order in 2018,” lawyer said.

“It is mandatory to get technical approval from the Traffic Engineering Bureau for installation of billboards,” he further argued. “These boards, hoardings pose threat to human lives and public property in rough weather or strong winds”.

Petitioner has pleaded for a court order to declare permission of installing billboards and hoardings in Karachi’s South district as unlawful.